


To Love a Bug

by AmyEatsCake



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Coming of Age, F/M, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Growing Up, Partnership
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2019-02-07 17:27:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 28,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12845994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmyEatsCake/pseuds/AmyEatsCake
Summary: Adrien wasn’t sure when things had started to change between his alter ego and his Lady. It certainly wasn’t something that happened overnight. Yet the gradual shift from partners, to friends, to something else, had the potential to completely change his life.The evolution of Chat Noir and Ladybug’s relationship was never going to be simple. Battling Akumas, meddling teammates, meddling friends, embarrassing situations, a controlling father, an absent mother, secret identities and crushes in their civilian lives are just the tip of the iceberg. Throw in Ladybug’s stubbornness and his socially awkward tendencies, it’s surprising they were even able to make it this far!With help from a number of familiar faces, Chat and Ladybug embark on an adventure into adulthood.Adrien will learn what it truly means to love, and be loved in return.





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> I have had an absolute blast writing this story. The Big Bang has been a joy to participate in and I couldn't have asked for a lovelier team!
> 
> I was blessed with the most amazing Beta; Orangepocketsm8 (check her out on Tumblr - she's amazing). She never failed to boost my confidence and ensure each chapter was as good as it could possibly be.  
> My amazing Responder was Twindoodle (Tumblr/Instagram) who is a supremely talented artist and a delight to work with.
> 
> Both ladies helped me to play around in a fandom that I'm normally lurking in the background of. It's been amazing to actually interact with Ladybug fans, as well as create more content! Thank you so much to both of you!
> 
> With regards to the story; I wanted to write something fun and full of the fluff that I adore so much in the show. I hope you all enjoy reading it. Don't forget to check out the beautiful artwork from Twindoodle!

1\. The Beginning

Adrien wasn’t sure when things had started to change between his alter ego and his Lady. It certainly wasn’t something that had happened overnight. For the first year of their partnership, Ladybug was reassuringly consistent in her treatment of him. They worked wonderfully together; fighting akuma with an ease that couldn’t really be explained. A comfortable camaraderie took hold, allowing Adrien to grow into the role of Chat Noir by Ladybug’s side.

 

They had fun. They laughed. They worked hard to purify every dark butterfly that  came their way. Their friendship grew with the passing months, and Adrien fell more and more in love with the spotted wonder.

 

Ladybug never changed in her treatment of his affections. She was kind and unwavering in her gentle dismissal of his somewhat overeager flirtations. Adrien tried to keep it in check, but _God_ was it hard. Within a very short amount of time, Ladybug had inserted herself into Adrien’s heart and become the most important person in his life. What was more, the flirting somehow became a part of their bantering in and out of battle. It was all very natural, but it was consistent. Ladybug would roll her eyes, bop his nose, shake off his arm and make her cheeky jokes.

 

Their second year brought along a few changes, but nothing which raised any alarm bells for Adrien. They began regular patrols around Paris; something that seemed vital in the quest to stop Hawk Moth, but actually became a fun way to let off some steam after a long day. It changed Adrien’s world to meet his Lady without the imminent threat of their timers running out. They spent hours and hours chasing each other across rooftops, sharing meaningful conversations and eating random foods from the street vendors they found in the dead of the night.

 

It was only towards the end of the year that things shifted slightly. Three new team members joined their twosome and the inevitable change in dynamics occurred. Chat instantly hit it off with Rena Rouge and Carapace, whilst Ladybug took a liking to Queen Bee. Adrien wasn’t ashamed to admit that Queenie put a kink in his tail with regards to his Lady. The little bee absolutely adored Ladybug. So much so, that she followed her around _everywhere_. It was virtually impossible to have any free time together and it gnawed on Adrien’s patience. He found himself teamed up with Rena and Carapace more and more over the coming months, whilst Queenie planted herself firmly at Ladybug’s side.

 

It was at the end of their third year when Adrien began picking up on something completely new. It took him a while to recognise it for what it was, and even longer to put into words exactly what was going on, but somehow Ladybug had started to seek out his company more and more. She flirted harder; allowed him to hug her closer and showed her infamous jealous streak when Rena Rouge grew too amorous with him. It was gradual and somewhat baffling to Adrien that Ladybug would reciprocate his feelings.

 

In all honesty, it scared the shit out of him.

 

Adrien didn’t know what to do with this new Ladybug. He loved what they had built together. He loved _her_. At no point in their three years together, had Adrien ever thought he actually had a shot at being something other than Ladybug’s trusty cat. It scared him so much that he might be reading the signals wrong, or that things would change for the worse so he did nothing with this new situation. The status quo stayed the same on his end; Adrien acted completely oblivious to Ladybug’s affections and she in turn didn’t push anything. They danced around each other as flawlessly as they battled butterflies.

 

And so, it came as a huge shock when Ladybug took a very tentative step away from their usual game of avoidance and/or denial.

 

Adrien had spent a whole month away from Paris, touring America with his Father’s company. He’d given his Miraculous girls and Turtle dude plenty of notice and they had set about creating new patrol timetables, as well as a little extra training to make up for the lack of Chat Noir defence. It had made him more than a little proud to see Ladybug, Rena, Carapace and Bee working so well together; and had eased his guilt in leaving them.

 

It had been hard. It had been lonely, but the month had passed quickly and without any problems. Within hours of touching back down in France, Adrien had transformed and taken to the rooftops. Despite it being way past her bedtime, Adrien inexplicably knew Ladybug was lurking somewhere above his beloved city.

 

It did not take long to find her.

 

“Kitty!” she cried, the moment he landed beside her. Adrien chuckled as she jumped upon him. “You’re back!”

 

“I most certainly am!” He grinned, pulling her closer as she threw her arms around him.

 

“I didn’t think I’d see you until tomorrow evening at the earliest,” Ladybug laughed, as Chat lifted her enthusiastically off her feet.

 

“I’ve missed you,” he replied simply, placing her back on the ground and greedily taking in every delightful feature upon Ladybug’s face.

 

She beamed up at him, resting her hands on his shoulders. “You have no idea, Chaton.”

 

Adrien raised an eyebrow, allowing his own hands to settle at her waist. “No idea of what?”

 

“How much _I_ missed you Chat!”

 

“Really?” He asked giddily, shifting the pair of them from side to side in his excitement. “You really missed me?”

 

Ladybug nodded, looking a little bashful. “It sounds so silly, but I’ve been counting down the days. The first week wasn’t too bad, but then not having you on patrol was really terrible. I love the team but it’s not the same, you know? The Akuma fights have been sparse, which I’m thankful for, and I’ve spent loads of time with my friends outside of the mask. It just wasn’t enough. I’m babbling; I’ll stop.”

 

She shook her head, as if to berate herself, and Adrien found his smile growing even wider.

 

“Don’t look so smug,” Ladybug huffed, giving him a little push but not letting go. “I missed talking to you and hanging out; that’s all.”

 

“I missed talking to you and hanging out too,” Adrien chuckled, continuing to move them from side to side. “I also missed the spots.”

 

“The spots?” Ladybug snorted, looking a little confused.

 

They paused in their movements as Chat sent her a cheeky wink. He ran his right hand up her torso before lifting it to poke at her spotted mask. “All these lovely spots.”

 

Ladybug flushed prettily but didn’t step away from his prodding. Instead she gave a little exhale and wrapped a hand around his wrist. “Which one did you miss the most?”

 

Adrien felt his mouth dry, as Ladybug took a tiny step closer to him. With her piercing eyes and pink cheeks, Adrien felt unable to resist the pull of whatever this was. Was it flirting? Was it sexual tension?

 

“Well,” he muttered, noting the drop in his own voice and the way it seemed to darken his Lady’s gaze. “I really did miss these.”

 

He touched each black circle on her perfect mask. She leaned in closer as he let his hand move back down to her arms. “But I also missed these.”

 

“Any others?” Ladybug whispered, gripping him tighter and then biting down on a wonderfully plump lip.

 

“Maybe these?” Adrien replied shakily, running a finger up the spots on her belly.

 

“Any on my back?” Ladybug asked, turning herself around and then glancing coyly over her shoulder.

 

Any blood that had been left in his head travelled south at an alarming rate.

 

“Oh yes,” Adrien swallowed; grazing fingers over every available spot before pausing as his fingers found the very top of her delectable arse.

 

Ladybug watched him curiously; as if daring him to go lower. “Did you miss every single spot?”

 

“Every single one,” Adrien agreed, giving in to temptation and very lightly running both hands a little lower. He couldn’t help stepping even closer as he did so.

 

Ladybug gave a thoughtful hum, allowing Chat to completely inhibit her personal space. “Don’t leave me and my spots for so long next time.”

 

“I won’t,” he agreed, closing his eyes as Ladybug leaned back, standing on her tiptoes and placing a gentle kiss to his jaw. His hands automatically encircled her stomach. “I don’t know what I was thinking; agreeing to be away for –”

 

“– Seriously?”

 

Adrien jumped away with a yowl; imitating his namesake perfectly.

 

“Shouldn’t you get a room for that sort of thing?” Rena asked, as she, Carapace and Bee stood at the opposite end of the roof with equal levels of disgust. “I highly doubt you want the morning papers to show the pair of you going at it.”

 

“We were just catching up,” Ladybug sniffed, taking a few steps away from him and crossing her arms. “It’s been a long time since we were able to talk.”

 

“Discussion seemed to be pretty far from your minds,” Bee snorted, strolling forward and punching Adrien’s arm with considerable force. “How come we didn’t get a heads up that you were back Skip Cat.”

 

Gripping his abused arm and rolling his eyes, Adrien glared at the stripy heroine. “Because you like to abuse me.”

 

“It’s not abuse,” Rena laughed, coming forward to pat his shoulder. “It’s affection.”

 

“And it puts you in your place,” Bee smirked.

 

“So,” Rena grinned; showing far too many teeth. “Are we patrolling or dry humping tonight?”

 

“Leave the poor dudes alone,” Carapace chuckled, folding his arms and watching with amusement. “If they wanna dry hump, let them dry hump!”

 

Adrien felt his face explode from the heat of his blush.

 

“We’re patrolling,” Ladybug snapped, looking as flushed as he felt. “I don’t know why you all need to be so ridiculous. Chat and I are allowed to hug each other. We’re close friends.”

 

“Really close,” Bee snorted, “seeing as his dick was pressed into your arse.”

 

Ladybug shot Queenie a look of poison before pulling out her yo-yo and giving it a violent swing. “Whatever; I’m going home. You can patrol on your own.”

 

And with that, Ladybug flew away from them and into the night.

 

“Thanks a lot,” Adrien groaned, when Ladybug had completely disappeared from view, rounding on the terrible threesome grumpily. “I’ve spent an entire month waiting for our reunion and you come along and ruin it!”

 

“Charming,” Rena replied, flicking her hair from her dark eyes as Carapace laughed heartily beside her. “It’s not like we missed you too. It’s not like we went an entire month without seeing you.”

 

“Yeah,” Bee agreed with a frown. “Do we not count in your reunion?”

 

Adrien sighed before giving them a guilty smile. “Of course you count. I’m sorry, I just haven’t stopped thinking about her. A few more days and I would have gone completely insane.”

 

“You’re a mess,” Rena said, with a roll of her eyes.

 

“I missed all of you,” Adrien assured them honestly. They were his team, after all. He had helped train them, had supported them and spent many a night patrolling with them.

 

“Just not enough to shove a dick in our –”

 

“– Alright!” Chat yelled, pulling all of them into a bear hug. “Shut up about it. I got over excited and Ladybug was being unusually responsive. It won’t happen again.”

 

“I’m not so sure about that,” Bee muttered darkly.

 

“Yeah Bro,” Carapace grinned, slapping his back. “Ladybug looked all kinds of interested from where I was standing.”

 

“Let’s just get on with our patrol,” Adrien replied, giving them a light squeeze before letting go. He would not let himself get his hopes up.

 

~0~

 

Yet, a few weeks later Adrien found himself on a scheduled patrol with just his Lady. He couldn’t help feeling ridiculously optimistic as her obvious good mood sent them on a wild dash around Paris. They leapt and soared over famous monuments and classic rooftops in a fit of boundless energy and exuberant happiness.

 

“I beat you again Chaton!” Ladybug sang, from her perch above him. She allowed herself to dangle upside down on the line of her yo-yo. “Just admit that I’m faster and we’ll call it quits.”

 

“You’re only faster in the air,” Adrien replied, tapping her cute nose with a clawed finger. “I’m way speedier on foot.”

 

Ladybug gave a snort of laughter and spun herself to land beside him. “I’m faster and you know it!”

 

“I’ve literally beaten you eight times tonight!” Adrien laughed, standing tall with hands on his hips. It was at that point that his belly decided to let out the largest and most embarrassing grumble of its life.

 

Ladybug paused, glancing from his face to his stomach. “Chat, have you eaten today?”

 

“Erm, I think so?” He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. It had been a long day of re-shooting for an ad campaign which had gone wrong the prior week. Every person on set had been extremely anxious to get it right this time, which had resulted in very little time for breaks.

 

“You think so?” Ladybug asked, with a raise of an eyebrow. “You can’t remember?”

 

“I definitely had breakfast,” Adrien admitted, thinking back to the strawberry and banana smoothie he’d slurped down at five in the morning.

 

“Kitty, you must eat!” Ladybug reprimanded gently. “You’re growing all the time, and transforming takes a lot of energy. One meal isn’t enough.”

 

“Honestly, I just forgot. I eat just fine!” Adrien assured her, as she took a step closer.

 

Ladybug placed her hands on his cheeks, “I’ve heard that stomach of yours rumble far too much in the past few years. It worries me.”

 

“Thank you,” he smiled softly. “But I’m fine. I just have a busy schedule and sometimes forget about lunch.”

 

“And dinner?” She replied with a raise of her eyebrow. “I’m gonna start sending you daily reminders.”

 

“I would love that!” He grinned, patting her hands as she pulled away.

 

With a glance around them, Ladybug gave a thoughtful tap of her lips. “Let’s get you something to eat.”

 

“No,” Adrien laughed, moving to follow her as she took off. “I’m okay. I can grab something when I get home.”

 

“Kitty,” Ladybug sighed, turning on him and halting their progress across a particularly tricky roof. “Let me feed you.”

 

With a blush, Adrien contemplated the earnest look Ladybug was giving him.

 

“Please?”

 

“Fine,” he relented, feeling warm as she gave a little bum wiggle in victory. “But I can pay for whatever we get.”

 

“Not necessary,” Ladybug grinned. “Give me ten minutes and I’ll meet you at the glasshouse!”

 

With that she was off; leaving Adrien to shake his head and smile at her retreating figure.

 

The glasshouse was on a very old and  dilapidated rooftop garden. A huge Victorian greenhouse stood in the centre of it; completely abandoned and utterly lovely. They had found it at the end of their first year as superheroes and instantly taken to the place. It was private and peaceful. A true escape in a busy city landscape.

 

Adrien landed softly on the worn-down flagstones and made his way to the comfy deckchairs they had long ago brought here. He didn’t need to wait long for his Lady to return to him; laden with a huge bag and smiling excitedly.

 

“Did you bring your entire fridge?” He laughed, helping her unload a variety of tubs onto a rusted table.

 

“Just a few left overs,” Ladybug chuckled, opening lids and handing him chopsticks. “My Mama is the best cook in the world.”

 

“This is from your house?” Adrien asked, accepting the chopsticks and looking around in wonder. “Your actual mother made all this?”

 

“Yes?” Ladybug replied, eyeing him quizzically.

 

“Bugaboo,” he whispered, feeling himself get a little choked up. “I – I – Thank you.”

 

“Oh Kitty,” she smiled fondly. “You don’t need to thank me; just eat something!”

 

Ladybug ran a hand through his hair as she began listing all the different foods she had to offer. Everything had been heated up and the smells were hard to ignore. Adrien’s belly groaned even louder than before.

 

“Dig in!” Ladybug laughed, watching as he happily stuffed his face with stir-fried beef, noodles, crispy kale, wontons and vegetable rice. It was a feast fit for a king and Adrien managed to polish the whole lot off with ease.

 

“I think I’m in heaven,” He sighed happily, laying back and smiling over at Ladybug. “That was unbelievable.”

 

“Mama knows how to cook good Chinese food,” she chuckled as she cleared the tubs away. “When we’ve revealed our identities, I’ll invite you over for dinner all the time.”

 

Adrien slowly sat himself back up. “When we reveal?”

 

“Yeah,” Ladybug continued, not picking up on the shock splashed across his face as she tidied. “I’ll even cook you my specialities. I’m better with the chicken dishes.”

 

“You’ll reveal your identity to me?” Adrien asked, utterly ruined by this revelation. Ladybug seemed to hear it in his voice, because she stopped fiddling with her bag to look up at him. Whatever she saw made her blush.

 

“W-well one day,” she said softly. “I want you to know who I am o-one day.”

 

“Ladybug,” he whispered, shutting his eyes to stop the tears from falling. “I would love that.”

 

“Me to,” she replied after a second or two of silence. “I’ve been t-thinking about it a lot lately.”

 

“You have?” Adrien asked, opening his eyes and blinking rapidly at the moisture he found there.

 

Ladybug nodded, biting her lip and moving closer to him. They each sat on a deckchair, with their knees knocking against each other. “You’re my best friend Chat Noir.”

 

“I love you,” he blurted out, unable to stop his mouth from moving. “You’re my best friend too, and I would love to have dinners with you. We could go to the cinema and eat popcorn together. We could go for walks and take trips to so many different places. My Lady, we could visit each other all the time!”

 

“We could,” Ladybug smiled gently; her face pink and her eyes twinkling. “We could do lots of things together.”

 

“I really want to do lots of things,” Adrien admitted, pulling her petite hands into his much larger ones. “I want you to know my real name and meet my friends. I want to play video games with you and have breakfast with you. I want to do everything!”

 

“And one day we will,” Ladybug said, with soft eyes and a little grin. “I promise Kitty. When the time is right.”

 

Adrien nodded, knowing that pressuring her into a reveal would not be wise; despite desperately wanting to remove his Chat Noir mask right then and there. He had waited three years and was absolutely willing to wait another three, if that was what Ladybug wanted. The fact Ladybug had even started to consider it was miracle enough.

 

Feeling his heart constrict wonderfully, Adrien couldn’t resist pulling her into a hug. She let out a breathy giggle as she was forced to straddle him. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he rested his forehead on her shoulder.

 

“Thank you,” Adrien mumbled against her super suit.

 

Clever fingers weaved themselves into his hair again. “There really isn’t any reason to thank me, Kitty.”

 

He hummed his disagreement and pulled her even closer. They stayed cuddled against each other for some time, which caused Adrien to feel even more lightheaded. Prolonged hugs were a relatively new thing in his life.

 

“Chaton,” Ladybug whispered against his ear. He shivered and lifted his head slowly. Her cerulean eyes watched him carefully.

 

Without saying a word, Ladybug raised a gloved hand and ran it over his mask. Adrien kept his gaze upon her. The dim evening buzz of the city disappeared into nothing as he allowed Ladybug to caress his face; surveying every detail in a heated stare which Adrien felt from the tips of his toes to the top of his head.

 

She placed a single finger to his lips and smiled when he didn’t hesitate to kiss it. “You’re such a sweet man.”

 

Adrien couldn’t resist waggling his eyebrows suggestively; causing her to giggle and drop her hand to the bell at his throat.

 

“I’m all cat,” he purred, feeling emboldened by her continued playfulness.

 

“No,” Ladybug laughed, flicking him and falling backwards precariously. Adrien kept his hands at her back and smiled indulgently. “Chat Noir, you’re becoming _man_.”

 

His cheeks glowed at her teasing praise and Adrien couldn’t help but duck his head shyly.

 

“But you’ll only grow big and strong if you _eat_!” She said, giving his shoulders a little shake.

 

Adrien rolled his eyes and stood up; causing Ladybug to squeal and latch her legs around him. “I won’t skip any more meals, Buggy. Cat’s honour!”

 

Ladybug grinned; giving his nose a little peck. “I will be keeping a close eye on you.”

 

Adrien hoisted her a little higher and spun them in a circle. “Will you continue to bring me wonderful food?”

 

“I’ll bring you whatever your heart desires,” She promised sweetly.

 

“It desires you,” he shot back instantly.

 

“Hmm,” Ladybug responded, pinching his ear playfully. “I think you already have me.”

 

“Do I now?”

 

“Yes Mr. Chat,” she replied; her warm breath ghosting his face pleasantly. “You do.”

 

With that, Ladybug kissed each of his cheeks and jumped from his arms. She picked up her bag, threw him a cheeky wink and was gone in an instant.

 

Adrien stood in a dazed trance as his brain caught up with his body. It was quite clear to him that Ladybug had decided to kill him. He certainly wasn’t going to last long if she kept this sort of behaviour up.

 

~0~

 

Ladybug’s next attempt to murder him came a week after Halloween. The Miraculous team had been run ragged by Akuma after Akuma, with no end in sight. Everyone was at their wits end and arguments had inevitably occurred amongst the ranks; the worst being a disagreement between himself and Queen Bee.

 

It didn’t happen often, as they had learnt early on to keep a united front, but Adrien had been unable to hold his tongue when Queenie had left his Lady unprotected during a particularly nasty fight. Bee had had the cheek to blame him for the lack of support, despite his battle against the hundreds of minions which had been created from the Akuma. Hurtful words had been thrown from both sides; leaving Adrien with a horrible taste in his mouth. He hated arguing.

 

“Wanna talk about it?” Ladybug asked, landing lightly beside him.

 

He’d left the finished fight in a huff and dropped the super suit as quickly as possible. It had taken him a few hours to calm down and don his cat ears again. Adrien had found a quiet industrial roof and laid himself out, gazing up into the cloudy night sky and contemplating what to do about Bee. He hadn’t expected any of his teammates to find him.

 

“I switched my tracking off,” he muttered as Ladybug elegantly sprawled herself out beside him.

 

“I know,” she said, shifting to get comfy and mimicking his position.

 

“You came looking for me?”

 

“I knew you would be upset,” she said simply, keeping her eyes raised to the heavens. “You hate squabbling. It must have been bad for you to lose your temper with her.”

 

“I’ve been doing this long enough that I really shouldn’t have lost it,” Adrien sighed, rubbing his face. “She does her best, but I couldn’t stop myself when I saw how open she’d left you.”

 

“It was a hard one,” Ladybug replied, after a moment of thoughtful silence. “Too many things happening at once. Plus, Bee can get a little over excited in the heat of the battle. She loves letting loose and doesn’t always think of the consequences of her ‘all or nothing’ fighting technique. It’s happened before and you’ve never been that angry about it.”

 

“I saw you go down and I panicked,” Adrien admitted softly. “It scared me.”

 

“I can take a few hits,” Ladybug assured him. “You know I’m not made of glass.”

 

“I do,” he agreed, for _God knows_ how many times he’d seen her awe-inspiring power. “Doesn’t mean I want you to take any though. I hate leaving you unprotected.”

 

“In this suit I’m never truly defenceless,” Ladybug reasoned, turning herself to face him for the first time. Adrien continued to gaze above him, but could feel her piercing eyes trained upon him. “You don’t need to be scared for me.”

 

“But I always will,” he muttered, glancing over at her and feeling far too vulnerable. “I would never forgive myself if something happened to you. It’s my job to keep you safe; I’m the Black Cat Miraculous. I’m not even angry with Bee now that I’ve calmed down. I’m angry with myself. She was right; I should have been at your side!”

 

“But that’s not how our partnership works,” Ladybug huffed as she sat up on her elbow. “We’re successful because we have always trusted each other to do whatever is necessary. We aren’t glued at the hip. I trust you to do the right thing and you trust me. Our faith in each other allows for the strongest elements of our Miraculous to shine through. If you treated me like a porcelain doll I’d never reach my full potential; as you wouldn’t if all you ever did was shield me. Yes, I can use Miraculous healing and yes, you have more offensive skills, but that doesn’t mean your only role is to protect. There is so much more to our partnership. We’ve always been a balance for each other.”

 

“Is that your roundabout way of telling me I’ve been a dick?” Adrien asked, mulling over her words and finding himself feeling even more guilty.

 

“No, it’s my way of saying I understand why you were upset with Bee and why you now feel like shit,” Ladybug smiled, “but you didn’t need to get so worried. She was also wrong to lay blame on you, Chaton. Neither of you need to feel like my bodyguard. I’m a superhero too!”

 

“And what a superhero you are,” Adrien replied; affection evident in his voice.

 

She gave him a little shove, “I’m serious!”

 

“So am I,” he sighed, grabbing her offending arm and draping it over his torso. She fell into him with only a small amount of grumbling.

 

“You and Bee will be fine,” Ladybug muttered into his chest, once settled. “She’s a hothead but deep down she admires you. We all do.”

 

“Thanks,” he groaned, “now I feel even worse.”

 

Ladybug chuckled, “Bee is as hard as nails so it’ll take far more than a disagreement to bring her down. Go and find her, and apologise for losing your temper. She’ll be sorry too.”

 

“I will,” Adrien agreed, pulling Ladybug closer and shutting his eyes. “Just give me a few more minutes.”

 

With another laugh and some wiggling, Ladybug settled herself into his hug. “You’re such a silly kitty.”

 

He snorted in response; bringing a hand up to play with her lovely dark strands of hair.

 

“Thank you,” she breathed against him; placing a sweet kiss over his beating heart. Adrien didn’t ask why she felt the need to thank him. Instead, he rubbed his chin against the top of her head and exhaled happily.

 

“Now, go and find our Queenie!”

 

“Alright, alright,” he groused, reluctantly letting go of Ladybug and sitting himself up. “But if she stings me, I’m coming back to you so that you can nurse me back to health.”

 

“She won’t sting you,” Ladybug said, with a roll of her eyes. She stood herself up and offered him a hand up, which he took. “She’ll make you work for forgiveness, but she won’t sting.”

 

Once standing, Adrien gazed down at her with a gentle smile. “I know how amazing you are. I know you can handle yourself just fine and a few hits are part of the job, but I’ll always want to keep you safe. You’re the most important person in my life and I made a vow long ago to do everything in my power to protect you. I’m not saying you can’t protect yourself, and I hope you don’t think I don’t trust your abilities because I do.”

 

“ _Chat_ ,” Ladybug moaned, reaching a hand up to play with his bell and looking a little dazed by his words.

 

“But, I’ll try my best to not let my crazy desire to look out for you affect our team,” he continued, wrapping a hand around her fiddling one and laying it flat against his chest.

 

“I’ll always want to keep _you_ safe too,” Ladybug whispered, looking up at him with large glassy eyes. “I love – I love our partnership.”

 

Adrien flushed happily. It was the first time Ladybug had ever used the ‘L’ word for anything involving them. Judging by her pretty pink cheeks and earnest gaze, she really did mean it.

 

~0~

 

“Come on!” Rena cackled, from her perch above them. “You must have at least one celebrity crush. Everyone does!”

 

How they had got onto this particular topic, Adrien wasn’t sure. It had potential to really ruin his night however, as all eyes watched Ladybug chew on her bottom lip and contemplate her answer.

 

“I just don’t think we should be sharing stuff like this,” she answered diplomatically. “What if it led to an accidental reveal or something?”

 

“Who cares?” Bee snorted, crossing her arms and leaning against a railing.

 

They had been sat on the top platform of the Eiffel tower for the past hour, catching up after a long week of university deadlines. It was now officially the start of the Christmas holidays and Adrien could not wait for a little down time. His teammates seemed to be of the same mind-set as their patrol had not moved an inch since meeting up. Instead, Ladybug had shared out a number of yummy pastries whilst Rena had started her game of a million bloody questions.

 

“I care,” Ladybug muttered, looking out towards the Paris skyline pensively.

 

“Well, we don’t!” Bee shot back with a shake of her ponytail. “I already know who Rena is under that mask –”

 

“– WHAT!”  

 

“– Are you serious?”

 

“Why didn’t I know that?”

 

“Really?” Rena frowned over at Queenie, “You pick now as the perfect moment to drop that?”

 

“I did ridiculously well keeping it to myself for a year,” Bee cackled, unfolding her arms and rounding on the Fox with glee. “I have literally said nothing to no one, even though it’s fucking hilarious!”

 

“So, you both know each other outside of the mask?” Adrien asked, looking from one to the other excitedly. “For reals?”

 

“For reals,” Rena confirmed, eyeing him and then Ladybug carefully. “I accidently walked in on her transforming. We went to school together and had never put two and two together, despite the amount of close calls we had with each other.”

 

“I swear we must have kept missing each other,” Bee grinned, “hiding all over the place and not catching on that we both seemed to disappear during Akuma fights!”

 

“Are you mad?” Rena asked, mainly looking at Ladybug.

 

“No,” Ladybug replied, biting her lip and looking between the three heroes for a moment. “I understand that these things happen. Accidents happen.”

 

“If it makes you feel better,” Carapace smiled, from his reclined position on the floor. “I haven’t got a clue who any of you are.”

 

Ladybug shot him a small smile.

 

“Well, personally I’m glad it’s finally out there,” Bee smiled as she pulled Vixen into a side hug. “So, can we tell each other who we are under all this magic?”

 

“E-Erm,” Ladybug stuttered, looking a little flustered. “I – I don’t think I’m ready for that.”

 

Adrien felt his shoulders drop dejectedly. The few seconds of hopeful anticipation quickly evaporating at her vulnerable stance. She looked ready to fling her yo-yo and run like hell.

 

“It’s safer if we keep at least a few of us in the dark,” he said, coming to his Lady’s rescue when no one else seemed to know what to do. “Hawk Moth is out there somewhere and we can’t be throwing our identities around. Ladybug’s right; accidents happen. I just don’t think it’ll bode well if we outright reveal all; as tempting as it is.”

 

She shot him a grateful smile, as Bee sighed noisily.

 

“Fine, be responsible losers!”

 

“Thank you,” he rolled his eyes. “Just make sure you aren’t being too obvious in your civilian dealings.”

 

“Please,” Rena sassed, waving a hand. “We’ve been hanging out for a year and no one has batted an eyelid.”

 

“Well, at first they did,” Bee shrugged, “because we weren’t particularly friendly to each other before the big reveal.”

 

“She was a bitch at school,” Rena informed them, nudging Queenie and sticking her tongue out.

 

“Okay, maybe we should get back to your game,” Ladybug interrupted before Bee could respond with her usual sting. “Reveals aside and all that.”

 

Adrien shifted himself a little closer and gave Ladybug’s shoulder a light squeeze. “Yeah, let’s get back to pointless celebrity crushes and not life changing confessions.”

 

“Fine Daddy,” Bee drawled, letting go of the fierce bear hug/arm wrestle she’d been having with Rena and shooting him one of her mocking glances.

 

Carapace and Rena Rouge burst into laughter as Adrien grimaced in obvious disgust. “Please, don’t call me that again.”

 

“Daddy?” Bee grinned wickedly, jumping up and flitting towards him with a dangerous look in her eyes. “Maybe you would prefer Papa? Père? What about –”

 

“Seriously,” Adrien snapped, pushing her away as she got a little too close for his liking. “Quit it.”

 

“But you and Ladybug are our parents!” Bee grinned, ruffling his hair. “Surely you knew that?”

 

“No,” Ladybug intervened, flicking Bee in the forehead as she made to swoop closer. “We’re certainly not, Queenie. Why must you pull on his tail?”

 

“It’s fun and so very easy,” Bee crowed, giving her forehead a little rub. “But I’ll leave that nerve alone for the time being.”

 

Adrien tried to fix his hair as Bee moved away. She sat directly opposite him, shooting little smirks his way. If he wasn’t such a polite young man, he would have flicked her the finger. Instead, his good manners prevailed and he childishly stuck his tongue out instead.

 

“Okay,” Rena sang, jumping off her perch to join them on the platform. “Let’s get back to business. Ladybug, crush, go for it!”

 

His Lady sighed in defeat. “Fine, but don’t laugh.”

 

“Oh God,” Bee muttered, shaking her head. “It’s going to be some old bloke isn’t it!”

 

“N-No,” Ladybug blushed, fiddling with her earrings. “No, it’s just everyone in Paris probably says his name in these stupid types of games.”

 

Rena gasped, as Bee gave her a look of absolute shock and Carapace began to howl with laughter.

 

“No way!”

 

“Who?” Adrien asked, looking between the girls in confusion. Who would most of Paris pick?

 

“Adrien Fucking Agreste!” Rena hollered, as Bee groaned into her hands.

 

“W-What?” He stuttered, receiving confirmation in the way Ladybug pulled her knees up and hid behind them. “What!”

 

“He’s really kind,” she mumbled against her own legs.

 

“No fucking shit,” Bee replied, looking as sick as Adrien felt but for entirely different reasons. “He’s an absolute treasure, but a celebrity crush?”

 

“Why not?” Ladybug asked, peeking out from her hiding spot. “He’s kind and charming and handsome.”

 

“And totally not interested in the female race,” Bee cut in, folding her arms. “Like, at all!”

 

“Of course he’s interested,” Carapace replied, with a shake of his head. “He’s not interested in _you_ , but he’s definitely interested.”

 

“Erm,” Adrien said, trying and failing to clear the sawdust from his throat.

 

“Name one girl he’s shown even an inkling of attention to over the years!” Bee scoffed, raising her hands theatrically. “Literally no girls!”

 

“I’m pretty sure he has the biggest crush on Ladybug I’ve ever seen,” Rena said, pointing at the heroine as Adrien choked. “Like stalker levels of crushing.”

 

“Totally smitten,” Carapace agreed with a fond smile lighting his face.

 

“He does?” Ladybug asked, her mouth hanging open as she took in this startling piece of information.

 

“Stalker levels?” Adrien repeated, feeling himself blush ruby red.

 

“Yep,” Rena said, making the ‘p’ pop. “Makes your crush look fairly tiny in comparison.”

 

“He really likes me?” Ladybug asked, as Adrien continued to die of embarrassment.

 

“I don’t see why it matters,” Bee huffed, giving Ladybug a hard glare. “It’s not like you can do anything about it in the suit. It’s not right to go around trying to score with a civilian.”

 

“Ha!” Rena exclaimed, slapping her knee and looking incredulously at Queenie. “As if you haven’t tried hooking up with hotties in those stripes!”

 

“I was young and unaware of the dangers!” Bee sniffed haughtily. “It’s not right to lead them on with the mask.”

 

“You are something,” Carapace said in disbelieve.

 

“You honestly have a crush on him?” Adrien asked, feeling his heart twist painfully as Ladybug shyly looked over to him. “Like, honestly?”

 

“Yes,” Ladybug whispered, her blush darkening. “I’ve liked him for years.”

 

Adrien found himself swallowing. Ladybug had a crush on him. Holy shit!

 

“Well, my best friend has been after him for years too so he is officially off the table anyway!” Rena chuckled. “I’m not letting you sink my ship.”

 

“Please!” Bee barked with laughter. “She hasn’t got a hope in hell of winning him over!”

 

“Hey!” Rena chastised, giving Queenie a shove. “You and I both know he thinks she’s cute.”

 

“Do – Do you know him?” Adrien asked nervously, looking between the girls in confusion.

 

“Don’t be silly,” Rena smiled, standing up and stretching out. “Besides, questions like that are a no-no for keeping identities Tomcat. Let’s leave this for tonight and get on with our patrols. Lady, I’m with you and Carapace tonight right?”

 

Ladybug nodded dumbly, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. She looked a little stunned as she waved him goodbye and set off after the Fox. Carapace followed them, shaking his head and laughing lightly.

 

Bee continued to sit opposite Adrien with a serious frown on her face.

 

“You know,” she muttered, when neither had moved or uttered a single word for ten whole minutes. “I thought you would always be my competition. I did not count on another hot blond stealing her away.”

 

“What?” Adrien asked, giving Bee a confused glance. His own shock still hadn’t sunk in.

 

“Ladybug,” Bee grunted, pointing towards the direction she’d disappeared to. “I thought you would always be my biggest rival. But I can’t compete with Adrien Agreste. He’s way too sweet and lovely. How could I possibly underhand him?”  

 

“I’m your rival?” Adrien asked, raising an eyebrow as Bee groaned into her hands.

 

“Yes!” She snapped, throwing him a glare. “Keep up!”

 

“I’m your rival and Adrien is your rival?”

 

“For Ladybug,” Bee nodded despondently. “But I have no chance against a sweetheart like him.”

 

“But you had a chance against me?” Adrien said, not quite following.

 

“Well,” Bee sighed, rubbing her forehead. “It’s easy to make you look like an idiot. I’ve been doing it since I met you. Do you think I spend my patrols with Ladybug singing your graces? No way! I’ve always pointed out your flaws and fuck ups for years.”

 

“Gee, thanks!” Adrien replied sarcastically. “What a treat you are to the Miraculous team.”

 

“It’s never worked,” Bee pointed out, giving him a once over. “Doesn’t matter what I say about you, Ladybug adores you.”

 

“Does she?”

 

Bee nodded, “I don’t think that matters now though. Not when we’re up against Adrien. We’ve lost Skip Cat. No way she’ll pick us over him.”

 

Adrien watched Queenie shift unhappily, contemplating her words and feeling equal parts perplexed and exuberant. Ladybug adored Chat and crushed on Adrien. Surely that was a good thing? Why did it feel like a problem?

 

“Come on,” She sighed, standing up and looking over him in resignation. “Let’s get patrol over with before I do something absurd; like cry.”

 

“You love Ladybug?” Adrien asked, finally sorting through everything Bee had said. He stood up to join her at the railings.

 

“Obviously,” Bee tutted, pulling her ponytail tighter. “She’s Ladybug.”

 

“I’m sorry,” he said, unsure of how to put his thoughts into words.

 

“Don’t be,” she grinned sadly. “I’m good at not caring. Whoever she eventually picks just better treat her right. I’m under no illusion that it’ll be you or him.”

 

“I’d treat her like a goddess,” Adrien admitted, his tail curling at the thought of truly being with his Lady.

 

“I know,” Bee replied, readying herself to jump and then pausing to look back at him. “Just don’t do anything to Agreste. He’s a good person. If she chooses him, you’ve got to stay away.

 

“I – I,” he stuttered, shocked at the steely resolve in Queenie’s eyes. “I will always respect her decisions.”

 

Bee smiled, giving him a pleased nod. “You’re not too bad for a stray.”

 

Adrien shrugged, sending a small smile of his own. “I have my moments.”

 

“Now, let’s see who can get across the city and back to Lady the fastest!”

 

With that she was off. Adrien followed quickly behind; shaking his head at her competitiveness and feeling even fonder of the blonde. She was headstrong and temperamental, but her heart was in the right place.

 

As they finished patrol, Adrien couldn’t help but feel hope settle comfortably in his stomach. Ladybug liked him in and out of the mask. Surely, that meant good things to come?

 

~0~

 

“I’m not moving.”

 

“Good!” Ladybug laughed, throwing her weight over him and giggling when he opened both eyes in shock.

 

“What are you doing?” Adrien asked, watching as Ladybug shifted herself with very little regard towards body parts.

 

“Getting comfy,” She grinned, settling on his chest and shutting her eyes. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

 

“Straddling your Akuma fighting partner,” he replied, adjusting himself on the smooth concrete ledge. He’d picked the perfect spot for a little nap. He was high enough up to not be disturbed and the ledge provided protection from nosy civilians. The evening sun had also been providing a wonderful warmth to his black super suit.

 

“I’m cuddling,” Ladybug chuckled, pressing herself more firmly against him.

 

“I was trying to sleep,” Adrien muttered, lifting his hands and encircling them around her.

 

“You can sleep,” Ladybug assured him, nuzzling under his chin. “Just pretend I’m not here.”

 

“That isn’t even slightly possible.”

 

“How so?”

 

“For starters,” Adrien mumbled, keeping his eyes closed as the sensation of warm woman settled into his bones and made his tail twitch. “You smell heavenly.”

 

She giggled, “What else?”

 

“You feel delightful, laying on top of me.”

 

“Do I now?” Ladybug wiggled, causing him to groan and squeeze her a little tighter.

 

“Seriously, that’s not fair!” Adrien muttered, keeping his eyes closed and nudging his head against hers.

 

“Sorry, sorry,” she laughed, sounding far from it. “What else is stopping you from sleeping Kitty?”

 

“You’re constant questioning,” he replied, receiving a light pinch to the ear for his efforts.

 

“And why are you so tired that you need to sleep on a roof?” Ladybug asked, lifting her head up to survey him.

 

“It’s been a hard day,” he admitted quietly, blinking his eyes open to look at her. She looked wonderfully pink and pretty.

 

“Don’t you have somewhere nice and snuggly to sleep at home?”

 

“Not particularly,” Adrien replied, after giving it some thought. “My house is rather devoid of snuggly.”

 

“So, you picked a concrete roof on Christmas eve?” Ladybug asked, sounding far from convinced. “Aren’t you cold?”

 

“I picked the perfect spot to catch the last rays of Winter sun,” he told her, with a gesture towards the beginning sunset. “I was perfectly content.”

 

“Right,” Ladybug smiled, rolling the ‘r’ cheekily. “And you’re planning on sleeping here for how long?”

 

Adrien shrugged beneath her. “Hadn’t really planned that far ahead.”

 

“You’re lucky there isn’t any snow so far,” Ladybug mused, running a hand through his hair and tickling his cat ears.

 

“Maybe it’ll come tomorrow?”

 

“I hope not,” she admitted, continuing her gentle caress of his head. “I hate being so cold.”

 

“My poor little Bug,” Adrien sighed, watching her watch him. “I’ll keep you warm if it does.”

 

“A true gentleman,” Ladybug grinned, running a finger along his mask covered nose. “Does that mean more cuddles?”

 

“It can mean whatever you want,” he stated honestly, enjoying her blush as it travelled over her cheeks.

 

“ _Chaton!_ ” She huffed, poking his nose as Adrien sent her a mischievous grin. “Cuddles. I want warm cuddles.”

 

“Then that is what you shall get,” Adrien promised, pulling her in for a tight squeeze. “But, first I need to sleep.”

 

Ladybug laughed, struggling against his long arms. “This really isn’t the best place to have a catnap!”

 

“Disagree,” Adrien responded with a lazy yawn; allowing his eyes to fall shut again. With a snort, Ladybug sent her fingers tickling up his sides. Adrien squirmed against her attack.

 

“Dirty tactics!” he cried, trying to halt her quick hands. She giggled as they wrestled and fell from the ledge. They rolled across the rooftop in a jumble of limbs and yells of displeasure.

 

“Was that really necessary?” He asked, as they came to a halt with Adrien resting awkwardly above Ladybug. “Now I’ve lost my hot spot.”

 

“Sorry Kitty,” she grinned, looking far too pleased with herself. “I was just proving my point. This is not the best place to rest up. You should be at home and in your bed!”

 

“Or maybe,” Adrien mused, eyeing her up and down. “Maybe the perfect spot is right here!”

 

Ladybug let out a yell of surprise as he put all of his weight on her. “Chat!”

 

He let out a bark of laughter as she tried and failed to get him off. “Yeah, this is just what I need.”

 

Adrien adjusted himself, allowing Ladybug to shift her legs. Within moments, they had somehow positioned themselves perfectly against the other. His laughter trailed off as the realisation of exactly _how close_ they were became apparent.

 

“Oh,” Ladybug breathed, gazing up at him with wide eyes.

 

“S-Sorry,” Adrien muttered, making to pull away and halting as her gloved hands grabbed at his shoulders. He froze as she blinked and bit down on her lip thoughtfully.

 

Everything seemed to stand still as Ladybug slowly raised a hand to his cheek. She kept her sapphire eyes on him and rubbed her thumb over his mask. Unable to move, Adrien felt himself swallow as she caressed along his face and down to the bell which hung from his throat. It had always fascinated Ladybug and had been handled by her many times over the years, but this felt completely new and utterly terrifying.

 

“Chat Noir,” she whispered; her voice sounding alien even to his ears.

 

“Ladybug,” He huskily replied, unsure of what came next in such unfamiliar territory. Did he get up and laugh it off? Did he kiss her? Did he rub himself all over her in a display of want and affection?

 

Ladybug seemed to be having her own battle of wills, because she continued to ponder him. Her hands travelled to the back of his neck; playing with the strands of hair she found there. Everything in him screamed for Adrien to push down harder and claim her delectable lips in a kiss she’d never forget.

 

Then everything was turned upside down, as Ladybug altered her hips in the tiniest of movements. It was enough for Adrien to slam his eyes shut and let out a puff of air, as every single ounce of blood rushed South.

 

“You don’t like?” She asked gently; her curious gaze never leaving his face.

 

“I like,” Adrien muttered, glancing down at her again and resting a hand on the ground above her head in an attempt to ground himself. “I really like.”

 

With a lick of her lips, Ladybug repeated the movement and flushed when he followed with a touch of his own.

 

“Oh,” she repeated, her leg coming up to bracket Chat closer to her body.

 

“W-We don’t,” Adrien began; letting out a low hiss as Ladybug grew a little bolder. “M-My Lady, we d-don’t do stuff like t-thisss.”

 

Ladybug halted her movements and pushed herself up onto her elbows. Adrien followed; leaning onto his left. They were still incredibly close to each other and he had no doubt she could feel exactly how enjoyable he found it to be.

 

“I’m sorry,” she said, running a hand through his fringe. “I didn’t mean to make things awkward.”

 

“You haven’t,” Adrien assured her, catching her fingers and giving them a small squeeze. “You know you can do whatever you want with me.”

 

“I’m in a silly mood,” Ladybug admitted, sitting up straighter and smiling when he dropped her hand to follow. “All restless energy.”

 

“Honestly, it’s fine!” Adrien chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck shyly. “If you want to do stuff like that, we can. I’m just not very experienced so don’t expect me to be any good.”

 

“You haven’t tried anything with anyone?” Ladybug asked, twiddling with the zip on his suit pocket. “Ever?”

 

“Nope,” Adrien smiled with a shrug. “I’m rather useless without the ears and tail. A bit socially awkward, I suppose.”

 

“Surely girls flock around you?” Ladybug said with a frown. “Surely girls and boys?”

 

With another shrug, Adrien glanced away from her intense scrutiny. It was more than a little embarrassing that he had virtually no skill when it came to _stuff_. An odd kiss here and there, but nothing serious and certainly nothing as sexual as what he’d just done with Ladybug.

 

He could just hear Plagg’s scoff at the seriously tame encounter.

 

“I haven’t either,” Ladybug mumbled, after a moment of deliberation. “I’ve spent such a long time daydreaming about the perfect kiss or the perfect date, that I’ve kind of let any real relationships pass me by.”

 

“You deserve perfect,” Adrien replied, without any thought. “You should have perfect.”

 

“In my head, I had found the perfect guy,” she smiled sadly, zipping and unzipping his pockets carelessly.

 

“But?”

 

“But he hasn’t found me,” Ladybug chuckled, dropping the zips and looking up at him. “I’m a very clumsy, very weird friend. I’m working hard to get over him to be honest. It’s silly and it’s been years.”

 

“Bugaboo,” Adrien sighed, running a clawed hand up her arm consolingly. “Feelings aren’t silly.”

 

“At my next birthday I’ll be nineteen,” she admitted quietly. “Nineteen and completely devoid of the usual teenage experiences. I know it’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I can’t help being curious. Especially when we end up getting all close to each other. It makes me think things.”

 

Adrien noted the way in which her eyes dropped to his lips and then rapidly back up to his eyes. It was subtle but it was there; Ladybug was seeing him as more than just her dorky superhero partner. His crappy pick-up lines and cheesy flirting _had_ gotten through.

 

“Thinking can be good,” he swallowed, trying and failing not to get his hopes up.

 

“Thinking can also be bad,” Ladybug shot back, placing her hands on his shoulders. “We’re such good friends Kitty. I really don’t know what I would do without you. It would be stupid to mess about just because of a little curiosity.”

 

“I suppose it did kill the cat,” Adrien quipped; smiling when she groaned and hit her head against his chest.

 

“How many times have I heard that?”

 

“Too many?” He sniggered, pulling her into a hug. “I’m sorry LB, you know I can’t resist.”

 

She grumbled noisily, but willingly nestled herself against him. They then sat in remarkably comfortable silence, each contemplating the conversation and what it actually meant to them. Adrien wasn’t going to push it and instead let himself enjoy the feeling of excited anticipation currently bubbling around his brain.

 

“Merry Christmas Chaton,” Ladybug whispered, as the sky began to darken.

 

“Merry Christmas Bug,” Adrien replied fondly, falling backwards and taking her with him. “Now, let’s get a little nap time in before that glorious sun sets.”

 

Ladybug giggled and called him an idiot, but she didn’t resist. With a satisfied purr, Adrien wrapped his arms firmly around his Lady Love and shut his eyes. The hideousness of Christmas could fuck right off. He had everything he needed and he wasn’t going to let his good mood be ruined by anything.

 

Besides, Ladybug wanted cuddles and he was determined to give her the best, uncomfortable boner be damned.

 

~0~

 

 


	2. The Shift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir and Ladybug continue to explore their feelings for each other, whilst Adrien comes to terms with the truth about his Lady.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to Orangepocketsm8 and Twindoodle. You were both so much help. This chapter was really fun to write and I loved sharing it with you both!

2\. The Shift

 

“What the fuck just happened?” Rena hollered, landing on the roof with Queenie and Carapace right behind her. “Did one of you get hit?”

 

Ladybug whimpered, pressing herself more insistently against Adrien’s black-clad chest. He wrapped an arm securely around her and tried to get a good look at her face. She seemed intent on keeping her right cheek squished into him.

 

“Crave got her with one of those beams of light he’s been throwing around the city,” Adrien replied despondently. “I tried to stop it, but somehow it sailed around me.”

 

“What has it done?” Queenie asked, coming forward to comfort Ladybug, who only moaned and pushed Bee’s worrying hands away.

 

“P-pain,” Ladybug stuttered, squeezing her eyes closed. “E-everything hurts.”

 

“Did you catch the Akuma?” Rena asked, looking around the neighbouring rooftops with concern.

 

“He disappeared before I could do anything,” Adrien admitted, as Ladybug gave a moan and pushed more insistently into him.

 

“We need to go after him then,” Carapace said, watching his spotted teammate with concern. “Let’s get that butterfly and bring it back to Ladybug for purification. That should clear up whatever is going on with her.”

 

“Do you think you can still use Miraculous cure,” Adrien asked, cupping Ladybug’s cheek so that she would look at him. “Would that be possible?”

 

Ladybug gave a jerky nod, placing her hand over his own and groaning. “It should fix everything.”

 

Adrien felt his stomach clench, as raw pain flashed across Ladybug’s eyes and her entire body seized up. He gave a silent promise that they would be as quick as possible.

 

“N-No!” Ladybug cried, her hands gripping desperately at his super suit. “Please stay. I n-need you to stay!”

 

“You need Chat?” Rena asked, looking between the pair with concern. “He’s our best shot against Crave. Can’t I stay with you?”

 

“N-No,” Ladybug sobbed, placing her forehead against his chest and shuddering. “I – Please – Chat.”

 

Rena Rouge, Carapace and Bee both gave him a look of alarm. Ladybug was always the voice of reason, and reason dictated that Chat should be the one to face Crave.

 

“Go cautiously, and if it looks like you can’t beat him, come back for me!” Adrien instructed, rubbing circles over Ladybug’s back. “I’ll stay with LB and see if I can do anything to calm her.”

 

Rena nodded, rubbing her forehead and pulling out her flute. “If anything changes here, send us a message.”

 

“Will do,” Adrien agreed, watching as they gave Ladybug one last glance before taking off. Bee clearly didn’t want to leave her, but knew the Akuma needed to be caught.

 

“My Lady?” Adrien asked, pulling her carefully from his torso. “What did the beam do?”

 

“K-Kitty,” she whimpered, trying to get close to him with clutching, desperate hands. “I – I can’t stop it. I – I want. I can’t s-stop!”

 

“Slow down,” he ordered soothingly, holding both of her wrists and catching her eyes. They had a slightly wild glint to them. “Try to tell me what the Akuma has done.”

 

“ _Crave_ ,” Ladybug moaned, pushing herself forcefully against him once more. “It has made me _crave_!”

 

“Crave what?” Adrien asked, feeling the panic rise into his throat. “Ladybug, what do you crave?”

 

“Y-You,” she stuttered, wrapping herself around him with notable strength. “I want y-you. So bad. I can’t d-describe it. L-Like a heat t-that won’t stop b-burning. W-Want you close.”

 

“Oh shit,” Adrien breathed, allowing Ladybug to push him backwards. His back hit a wall as Ladybug pressed herself insistently into him. “H-How do I help you with that?”

 

“Anything,” Ladybug begged, pressing hot lips to his jaw. “Chaton, make it stop!”

 

He pulled her face away and swallowed at the look he found there. Lust. Pure and simple.

 

“I don’t want to do anything you would regret My Lady,” Adrien admitted, pushing himself off the wall and standing taller as he stroked the fringe from her eyes. She blinked dazedly. “This is just the effects of the Akuma. It’s not real.”

 

“It hurts,” Ladybug whined, tugging at his belt and biting down on her lip painfully hard.

 

“W-What do you want me to do?” Adrien stuttered, clenching his hands into fists as she begged him with her eyes. Her beautiful, beautiful eyes.

 

“Anything,” she flinched, as another wave of discomfort rolled over her body. “Everything. I just want it t-to stop!”

 

His resolve to not touch Ladybug cracked as soon as her tears began to fall.

 

“T-Tell me to stop if I go too far,” Adrien informed her, as his hands found her cheeks and wiped away the wet tracks glistening upon them. “I’m gonna kiss you.”

 

“Yes!” Ladybug nodded enthusiastically, throwing her arms around his neck and shutting her eyes.

 

He gave himself one last pep talk before dropping to her lips. With as much gentleness as he could manage, Adrien kissed Ladybug briefly before pulling back. Only Ladybug was having none of it. She followed him; sending his mind whirling as she proceeded to insert her tongue into Adrien’s mouth and utterly ravish him.

 

Hot and all consuming; Adrien couldn’t stop the moan from escaping as Ladybug kept herself pressed up against him. Their tongues met in a scorching dance of desire and need. Unlike anything Adrien had experienced before, it sent his brain into absolute meltdown and his body wanting more.

 

More of her. More of _them_.   

 

When he stopped for air, his heavy gaze took in Ladybug’s flushed cheeks and radiant smile.

 

“Don’t stop,” she gasped out, pressing quick nips across his jawline and then groaning when Adrien spun them so that Ladybug was against the wall.

 

His mouth descended over every available piece of skin along her throat. Every dirty dream, every impossible daydream; nothing compared to the real-life sensations of Ladybug moaning and shuddering against him.

 

“ _Chaton_ ,” she panted against his ear; causing a low growl to fall from his lips and an even harder kiss to counter her yearning. They caressed and consumed in equal measure. The time being of little concern for either as their kisses became longer and their hands grew bolder.

 

It was only when someone very loudly cleared their throat behind them that Adrien threw himself off of Ladybug and spun to face his other teammates.

 

“So, Crave causes people to need the thing they most desire,” Rena Rouge said conversationally. “Anyone hit by his beam would literally feel physical pain unless they got what they desired most.”

 

Bee stomped towards Ladybug, roughly pulling her away from him and handing her a dark butterfly caught in a simple jar. “Cleanse it.”

 

Ladybug gave a groan, her hand flying out to catch Chat as her body reacted to being away from him.

 

“I don’t understand,” Adrien said, placing an arm around her and taking hold of the jar.

 

“Use your yo-yo,” Carapace prompted, as Ladybug squeezed her eyes shut from the pain.

 

Adrien guided the device into her hands and released the Akuma. Without further encouragement, Ladybug performed her Miraculous cleansing. They watched the tiny bugs scurry across Paris and around the heroine herself in silence. It was only when every little ladybugs had cleared, that Bee rounded on her idol.

 

“Are you fucking serious?”

 

“I don’t feel so good,” Ladybug swayed, ignoring the angry blonde and closing her eyes.

 

“LB?” Adrien asked, holding her close as the aftereffects of the fight took hold. “Do you want to sit down?”

 

“I can not believe you let us go off into battle as you sucked face with this idiot!” Bee huffed, stamping her foot and crossing her arms. “And since when have you desired _Chat Noir_?”

 

“Stop it Queenie,” Rena Rouge sighed, “Have your tantrum later. Let’s just make sure she’s okay first.”

 

“I’m fine,” Ladybug muttered, rubbing her face and opening her eyes. “Just need to go home.”

 

“Do you want –?” Adrien began, following Ladybug as she slowly walked away from them.

 

“I’m fine,” she repeated, giving him a light pat but not looking up at him. “I’ll talk to you later.”

 

And with that, Ladybug was gone. She didn’t once look back as she disappeared into the city.

 

Rena Rouge whistled behind him. “I do not envy that conversation when you have it. Talk about awkward.”

 

“Yeah dude,” Carapace said with a wince.

 

“She desires me?” Adrien asked, rounding on the two young women in confusion. “How is that even possible?”

 

“It’s been a work in progress for a while,” the fox grinned, placing hands on her hips. “Ladybug has been falling for you for ages. She’s just denied it and tried to bury it. I’ve always said LadyNoir would happen. I can’t believe I got to witness the birth of it!”

 

“Please,” Bee snorted, pushing her nose into the air. “An Akuma fumble does not make a relationship. Ladybug will be mortified that she lost her professional head and will ignore Skip Cat for weeks.”

 

“Merde, I hope not,” Adrien sighed, running fingers through his hair. “Do you think I should apologise?”

 

“For what?” Rena Rouge chuckled. “Ladybug _craved_ you. She wanted you all over her. You were helping her out.”

 

“Then what do I do?”

 

Rena shrugged. “Give her time and be honest when you do finally talk about it. You love her; like for reals.”

 

“Yeah, I do,” Adrien agreed, looking in the direction Ladybug had headed towards. “I really love her.”

 

“It’ll be fine,” Rena assured him, slapping his arm as she made to leave. “Now, go and do something to relax.”

 

“Gross,” Bee scowled, stalking away from them both. “I did not want the mental image of him wanking. I’ve already been scarred for life at the sight of him assaulting Ladybug.”

 

Rena Rouge and Carapace both snorted with laughter, whilst Adrien groaned and pulled out his baton. “I’m going before either of you embarrass me further.”

 

As he left to the sound of hearty laughs, Adrien felt a headache forming.

 

What the hell did all this mean?

 

~0~

 

It took eight awful days before Adrien was able to talk to Ladybug on her own. They endured four awkward patrols with Carapace, Rena Rouge and Queenie, as well as two terribly long winded Akuma attacks. Eye contact was kept to a minimum and conversation comprised of one word responses. It seemed neither himself nor Ladybug were willing to broach the topic of _Crave_.

 

It was a great surprise to Adrien when Ladybug landed beside him on his Monday evening solo patrol. He watched her carefully as she fidgeted from side to side, unsure whether he should speak first or wait for her.

 

Finally, the silence was broken with a very hesitant hello on her behalf.

 

“Hi,” Adrien replied, as gentle as could be.

 

“I owe you an apology,” Ladybug swallowed, looking anywhere but at him.

 

“You owe me nothing,” Adrien assured her, moving to stand from his accustomed cat crouch. “It was a fucked up Akuma.”

 

Ladybug shook her head, worrying her lip as she did so. “I don’t really remember what happened. It’s more the sensations and a hazy picture of the fight. Although, Rena Rouge had great fun explaining what had gone down.”

 

“The fox would,” Adrien sighed, pulling at his belt tail uncertainly. “If you don’t remember, why are you apologising?”

 

“I’ve been avoiding you,” Ladybug whispered, her cheeks flushing pink. “I was so scared by all those feelings that I thought it best to keep my distance.”

 

“What changed?” Adrien asked, glancing timidly over at her.

 

“I missed you,” Ladybug admitted quietly. “I hate that I let a stupid Akuma get in the way of our friendship, and I hate that I was a coward. I should have spoken to you straight away. You looked after me and I behaved terribly.”

 

“Oh Bug,” Adrien muttered, letting go of his tail and pulling her into a light hug. She came willingly, letting out a little happy sob as his arms went around her. “I was being just as silly. I didn’t know what to say or do. I’ve kept my distance just as much as you!”

 

“It was just so bloody embarrassing,” she mumbled against his chest. “I don’t want it to be weird between us. I couldn’t stand to lose you.”

 

“You will never lose me,” Adrien promised, running a clawed hand over her back. “I’m your Chat Noir and I always will be.”

 

Ladybug nodded, keeping herself pressed to his torso. “So, things aren’t weird?”

 

Adrien chuckled. “Not unless you want them to be. I can forget what happened if you can. I mean, it was the most amazing half hour of my life! But I can pretend it never happened.”

 

Ladybug lifted her head, looking up at him with inquisitive eyes. “It was amazing?”

 

Her voice was wonderfully soft; hitting Adrien straight in the heart.

 

“Y-Yeah,” he said, clearing his throat and tapping her lower back with fidgeting fingers.

 

“Oh,” Ladybug replied, her eyes wide. “T-Thank you.”

 

“Thank you,” Adrien laughed, knocking his forehead against hers bashfully. “You made me one very happy kitty.”

 

“Did you purr?” she giggled, pulling away but keeping her hands on his arms.

 

“I more than purred,” he grinned, enjoying her continued blush. “You’re a very talented woman.”

 

“Oh god,” Ladybug groaned, slapping his chest. “Was I a complete idiot?”

 

“No, you were a complete goddess!”

 

Ladybug shot him a deadpanned look. “Really?”

 

“I’ve never been so turned –”

 

“– Alright!” Ladybug interrupted, throwing a hand over his mouth. “Let’s just leave it at that. We kissed. I made a fool of myself, and you may or may not have enjoyed it.”

 

He mumbled against her red hand, causing Ladybug to raise an eyebrow and then slowly take it away.

 

“Out of all the things to come out of that Akuma attack,” Adrien said, as earnestly as possible. “I want you to believe that I really did enjoy your kisses, and at no point did you make a fool out of yourself.”

 

“Thank you Chaton,” she blushed, giving his shoulder a squeeze.

 

Adrien contemplated her for a moment. A part of him shouting to bring up her _desire_ and what it actually meant for them. But, looking down at her relieved smile, Adrien knew now wasn’t the right time. Ladybug was happy to have the entire ordeal dismissed, and that was telling enough. She might desire him in some way, but it wasn’t enough for Ladybug to address.

 

“Wanna race?” He asked instead, detaching his baton and giving it a spin.

 

The brilliant grin she sent his way made Adrien sure he’d made the right decision.

 

Of course, Carapace, Rena Rouge and Bee teased them endlessly over the next month. Not a single patrol or attack went by without some kind of comment about their make out session. Ladybug purposely ignored them, whilst Chat tried to keep things light with jokes and dismissive shrugs. Their teammates would get over it eventually, they just needed something else to focus on.

 

Adrien shouldn’t have been surprised when something else _did_ happen. And obviously, it had to involve him.

 

A nasty Akuma named the _Malicious Mermaid_ had ransacked Paris in a rage of drownings and water related unpleasantness. With a fury unlike anything the heroes had faced previously, the mermaid had flooded streets and homes. The scaly creature had scoured the city looking for handsome men to entrap in her watery prisons.

 

Adrien had been at a charity ball hosted by the Chloé’s Father when the entire hotel had been flooded. With a quick check on Chloé, and in turn Alya, Marinette and Nino – who were now regularly incorporated into the rich blonde’s life and had been invited to the event – Adrien had disappeared onto the roof and transformed. Ladybug, Carapace, Bee and Rena Rouge had been quick to follow.

 

The fight had taken them across many rooftops and along watery streets. Ladybug had just used her Lucky Charm when Malicious Mermaid zeroed in on Chat with astounding viciousness. His baton was knocked from his hand as a great surge of water hurled him into the Seine river, and away from his teammates.

 

The pressure of Malicious Mermaid’s power kept Adrien from breaking the surface as he sank further and further. Panic began to set in as he realised his predicament and Plagg buzzed at the back of Adrien’s brain in warning. They were in trouble and there was nothing he could do about it. Wave after wave pushed upon his body; swirling him into a vortex of freezing cold water. Opening his eyes, Adrien could only make out a blurry shadow of fast moving and extremely dangerous river water.

 

Plagg gave another warning as his super suit power began to ebb. There was only so long that the Miraculous could protect him from drowning and Adrien was sure they had been under for far too long. So long in fact, that Adrien felt his consciousness begin to fail.

 

Everything began to darken and Adrien’s limbs became heavier. Nothing he did could stop the merciless power of the water around him.

 

He was drowning.

 

The darkness took him as pain seized his body.

 

Adrien knew no more.

 

Until suddenly he was pulled back towards a blinding light.

 

Every part of him screamed as someone pounded down upon his chest in an unforgiving mantra of controlled precision.

 

“Please!”

 

Bang. Bang. Bang.

 

“Come on Kitty!”

 

Adrien found himself coughing and choking as foul tasting liquid expelled from his stomach. His lungs burned and his nose felt tender as he shuddered and gasped.

 

“That’s it Chaton, that’s it!” A woman cried, sounding broken and utterly relieved. Soft hands cupped his cheeks. “You’re okay. _You’re okay!_ ”

 

“Ladybug,” he groaned, keeping his eyes closed as his coughing subsided. Every bit of him felt weak.

 

“Yes,” she sobbed. “Kitty, I’m here. You’re okay.”

 

Her warm body draped over his; cuddling his prone figure as the noises of the city came back into focus. Ambulance wails could be heard in the distance, as well as the mutterings of Parisians coming out of an Akuma attack.

 

She continued to stroke along his face and mask, as her quiet weeping soothed the ache from his chest and made him feel inexplicably _alive_. Light kisses over his cheeks helped alleviate his initial panic.

 

With a groan and multiple attempts to open his eyes, Adrien finally managed to look around him. He winced as pain shot across his skull, and he continued to cough up unwanted water.

 

“Careful!” A soft voice warned, helping him to sit up. “You were under for such a long time.”

 

“M-Marinette?” Adrien frowned, coming to rest on his elbows as he took in the sight of his civilian friend in her soaking wet ball gown and dripping dark hair. Her pale skin luminous against the blue of her pretty dress.

 

“Chat Noir,” she smiled weakly, tears still clinging to her lovely eyelashes.

 

“W-What?” He grimaced, clutching at his head. Everything felt woozy and uncomfortably vague. “W-What’s going on?”

 

“Malicious Mermaid locked you in one of her prisons,” Marinette explained, pushing his damp fringe from his face. “You were forced into the Seine.”

 

A commotion halted any further questions as Carapace, Rena Rouge and Bee appeared behind him.

 

“What the fuck were you playing at?” Rena yelled, falling to her knees and grabbing Marinette’s bare arms. She gave the beautiful young woman a shake. “You could have been killed!”

 

“He would have died!” Marinette yelled back, pushing Rena away and waving her hands angrily. “No one else was around to help!”

 

“So, you jump in the bloody river?” Rena Rouge huffed, folding her arms.

 

“We would have been able to get him,” Bee sighed, sitting herself opposite Marinette and checking on her dripping wet teammate.

 

Adrien shot the blonde heroine a weak smile as she lifted his clawed hand and clasped it reassuringly.

 

Carapace stood behind them all, watching with a curious look upon his face.

 

“You were too far away and Ladybug’s time had run out. I was the only option,” Marinette argued, gazing worriedly down at Chat.

 

“You are a _civilian!_ ” Rena snapped, as Adrien’s Miraculous gave its first warning signal. He hadn’t used cataclysm but Plagg had obviously been exhausted from their drowning.

 

“You could have been seriously hurt.”

 

“Well I wasn’t,” Marinette replied, gesturing to herself. “I’m perfectly fine and Chat is too! I couldn’t just stand by and watch him drown.”

 

“You’re shivering,” Bee noted, looking at Marinette as she helped Adrien sit up. “Ren, let’s get her somewhere warm and give Chat a place to recharge.”

 

“I’m fine,” Marinette assured them. “I’m going to run straight home. Besides, you probably need to find Ladybug.”

 

“She’ll find us once she’s recharged,” Carapace replied, as Adrien gave another groan. The conversation was moving too quickly for him to follow and his headache was pounding away at him.

 

“Rest up Kitty,” Marinette muttered, giving him a little hug and avoiding Rena’s steely gaze.

 

“Thank you,” he mumbled; his throat burning.

 

“We’ll check on you later,” Rena promised, looking none too happy as Marinette stood up and pulled at her soaking dress. She rolled her eyes at them and quickly ran up the riverbank steps; disappearing from view.

 

“Honestly,” Rena Rouge huffed, watching her go angrily. “Why would she put herself in danger like that?”

 

“She’s made of hard stuff,” Carapace noted thoughtfully.

 

“Maybe she has a thing for our Chat?” Bee drolled, hauling him up onto unsteady feet. “She does have a thing for blonds after all.”

 

“Hmm,” Rena replied, continuing to watch Marinette’s retreating back.

 

“I – I,” Adrien stuttered, falling into another round of coughs. “Marinette jumped in to save me?”

 

Bee nodded. “We had just finished off the fight and Ladybug had used Miraculous Cure, but you didn’t reappear. We realised that you’d ended up in the Seine and the actual river was probably drowning you. Ladybug had to transform back, so we ran on ahead to save you.”

 

“We weren’t sure whereabouts you’d be,” Rena Rouge admitted, giving up on her stare-out of Marinette and instead focusing on him. “By the time we found you, you were already being saved.”

 

“We watched Marinette jump off the bridge and ran down stream to intervene,” Bee said, with a flick of her ponytail.

 

“Marinette had already pulled you out and got you breathing when we showed up.”

 

“Marinette saved me?” Adrien asked, looking between the two super heroes. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng?”

 

“Yeah,” Bee snorted, as Ren took in his confused expression.

 

“What’s wrong?” The Fox asked, looking a little worried.

 

“I thought,” Adrien swallowed. “I thought it was someone else.”

 

“Definitely Marinette,” Bee confirmed, patting his back. “Although God knows how.”

 

“Marinette,” Adrien muttered again, shaking his head to try and clear the fogginess. He could have sworn it was his Lady saving his arse and cuddling him close.

 

“Are you crushing on her now?” Rena asked, as the women supported him into a slow walk away from the river. Carapace followed then quietly from behind; his presence comforting Adrien as they climbed the stone steps.

 

“No,” Adrien replied, distractedly trying to replay the last hour of his life and coming up blank.

 

“Don’t tell Ladybug,” Bee advised, just as the spotted wonder touched down a few metres in front of them. Both Rena Rouge and Queenie took a step away from him as Ladybug launched herself at Adrien.

 

“Chat!” She cried, running up and pulling him into a massive hug. “I was so worried. I couldn’t get to you and I knew you were under the water. I thought – I thought I was going to lose you!”

 

“I’m fine,” Adrien mumbled against her shoulder.

 

“I’ve never been so scared!” She admitted, cupping his cheeks and gazing up at him with her strikingly blue eyes. Familiarity hit him inexplicably hard.

 

His ring beeped again; letting everyone know that their time was up.

 

“I’ll meet up with you all later,” Adrien assured them, giving Ladybug a slightly distracted pat and then breaking their hug.

 

He ignored the worried looks shared between the superheroes and made a quick exit.

 

Adrien spent the next week contemplating what had actually happened. He couldn’t shake off the feeling that he had missed a step somewhere along the way. Blue eyes hounded his dreams; waking Adrien in the middle of the night and following him about during the day. He just couldn’t get over the fact that it was _Marinette_ who had saved him. He’d been so sure that it had been his Lady’s voice coaxing him back to the world of the living. So much so that he started to follow Marinette everywhere.

 

Every opportunity Adrien got, he donned his mask and observed his friend going about her day. Plagg teased his stalking and Adrien spent much of his time justifying himself; he was just curious. He just wanted to work out how his cute friend had managed to defy all reason and save his superhero arse.

 

The fact that they went to the same university was extremely handy in his pursuit of the dark-haired beauty. Adrien could track her across campus easily, and his Chat Noir guise allowed him to stick to the shadows and rooftops.

 

Marinette gave nothing away. Her day to day life was just as he had imagined; she worked hard and spent most of her time sewing, crafting and creating. Sometimes she’d be reading, and often she’d be joined by her friends for lunch breaks. Everything about the girl seemed normal. She did have a habit of talking to herself, but that was nothing new to him, having witnessed this during their time at school together.

 

Adrien was just about ready to give up on his stupid curiosity. A week of not finding anything remotely helpful and the uncomfortable knowledge that he was spying on his friend pushed him to drop his snooping.

 

With a sigh, he stood from his position opposite her balcony and prepared to leave. Adrien had been waiting for Marinette to return home from a cinema date with Alya, but it was clear she wasn’t returning anytime soon. The heavens had just opened and a light drizzle of rain had started to fall; reflecting his mood perfectly.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

Adrien jumped, turning guiltily towards Ladybug.

 

“Erm,” He replied, scratching his cheek nervously.

 

“You’ve been following that girl all week,” Ladybug stated, folding her arms and giving him a hard stare. “Chat, what’s going on?”

 

With a shrug, Adrien glanced back towards Marinette’s empty bedroom. “It’s stupid.”

 

“Try me.”

 

“You’ll think I’m mad.”

 

“I already think you’re mad,” she smiled, releasing her arms and giving him a small nudge. “Come on Kitty, tell me what’s on your mind.”

 

With a sigh, he sat himself back down and patted the spot beside him for Ladybug to follow. She settled herself gracefully and then looked over at him with an expectant little nod.

 

“Don’t laugh,” Adrien ordered, with a rub to his neck. The rain continued to fall gently over them.

 

“Oh God,” Ladybug groaned. “I can’t promise that!”

 

“It’s just that I didn’t think it was Marinette who saved me,” he muttered quickly; trying to get the confession out as hastily as possible.

 

“You didn’t?” Ladybug whispered, shifting beside him. “Then, what did you think?”

 

“I,” Adrien began, glancing briefly over at her. “I thought it was you.”

 

“Me?” She replied softly.

 

“I don’t remember much,” he admitted, fiddling with his tail. “It’s all kind of a blur so I can’t really be sure of anything. It’s more a feeling that I can’t shake.”

 

“Marinette saved you,” Ladybug assured him, clearing her throat and resting a hand on his jigging knee. “It was Marinette. I had already transformed and Tikki was recharging. I’m sorry Kitty. I couldn’t get to you.”

 

Adrien gave Ladybug a weak smile, “I know it’s stupid. I saw her. I spoke to her. I just keep going over it in my head and coming up blank. I thought I heard your voice.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Ladybug muttered, leaning her head onto his shoulder.

 

Chat rested his hand over hers. “I’ll stop following Marinette. I know it’s a little creepy. I’ll stop.”

 

“She wouldn’t mind,” Ladybug replied, snuggling herself closer to his side. “From what I’ve heard, Marinette really admires you.”

 

“I should do something to say ‘thank you for saving my life’,” Adrien supposed quietly, thinking about what he could possibly do to show his gratitude.

 

“I think you being alive and well is more than enough,” Ladybug chuckled, placing a kiss to his cheek. “Although, less stalking would probably be good.”

 

With a nod, Adrien pulled Ladybug in for a bigger hug. “Duly noted my Lady.”

 

They stayed cuddled together for a while. Both clearly lost in thought. Adrien allowed himself to relax for the first time in days; resting his chin on Ladybug’s shoulder and closing his eyes. Even the rain couldn’t dampen his contentment.

 

“Kitty?” Ladybug whispered against his jaw.

 

“Hmm?”

 

“I’m glad Marinette saved you,” she admitted, causing Adrien to open his eyes again to look down at her delightfully expressive face. Never, in all eighteen years of his life had anyone gazed upon him with such _affection_. It made him wonderfully warm under the collar.

 

He gave her a tender smile and was surprised when Ladybug blushed. Her eyes fell to Adrien’s lips, which he couldn’t help licking in anticipation.

 

“Chat?” She asked, leaning hesitantly closer and blinking raindrops from her eyes.

 

Adrien’s eyes fluttered closed, just as Ladybug’s lips touched lightly on his. It was a kiss completely different to her _Crave_ kisses. Gentle. Innocent. Heartfelt and _real_. The perfect first kiss – despite being anything but.

 

When they came apart and looked shyly over at each other, Adrien was struck by how much he loved his beautiful Bug. She had given him so much and was now slowly but surely allowing him access to her own heart.

 

With a happy sigh, Adrien ran his hand over Ladybug’s cheek. She smiled bashfully, wiggling closer and allowing herself to be lost in a second, third and then forth careful kiss. By the fifth, Adrien had started to gain confidence and by the sixth had introduced his tongue.

 

Neither seemed to be able to hold in their moans of delight as the sensation of becoming more intimate alighted between them. Their obvious inexperience did nothing to hold them back. Adrien was quite sure he’d found heaven.

 

The rain fell even harder, as Ladybug pushed herself into his lap and kissed him with added enthusiasm.

 

Adrien chuckled when they finally pulled apart; breathing heavily and both looking a little stunned.

 

“If I had known drowning would get you to kiss me like that,” he grinned, cupping her gorgeous cheeks fondly. “I’d have done it years ago.”

 

“Don’t say that!” Ladybug huffed, slapping his chest and grumbling as he placed little pecks over her masked face. “It’s nothing to joke about.”

 

“I know Bug,” he agreed, releasing her and smiling contently.

 

“You look far too smug about all this,” Ladybug sighed, resting against his chest and allowing him to hug her again.

 

“Not smug,” Adrien corrected, wiping the rain from his face with one hand as the other draped around Ladybug’s back. “Just happy.”

 

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” Ladybug muttered, rubbing herself affectionately against him.

 

“Of course we should,” Adrien shot back, as thunder rumbled above them.

 

“We’re supposed to be responsible heroes of Paris!”

 

“We can still be that,” he laughed, the rain falling harder.

 

“I like someone else,” she admitted quietly. “I always have and I know it’s not fair on you. I don’t want to mess you around by being dishonest.”

 

“You like me too,” Adrien replied, pushing the fringe from her eyes. He’d known for years that she harboured a crush on a friend of hers, but there was no way he was letting go of a possibility of being with her because of that. Besides, just recently, Ladybug had mentioned that she was attempting to get over her crush. Adrien was more than happy to fill that arsehole’s shoes.

 

“I do,” Ladybug whispered, snuggling closer. “I really do.”

 

“Then we’ll just take things slow,” Adrien assured her. “I’m not asking for the world; just a chance. We can stop whenever you want and I’m never going to hold anything against you. We’re friends first and foremost. We’re friends and partners.”

 

“Oh Kitty,” Ladybug laughed, sounding relieved. “You are wonderful.”

 

“As are you Bugaboo,” he mumbled, just as her lips found his again.

 

They spent the next month chasing each other across rooftops, finding hiding places and excitedly exploring each other with searing kisses and tentative touches. All thoughts of Marinette’s heroism brushed from his mind as Adrien behaved like a lust driven teenager for the first time ever. His brain was taken over by Ladybug’s inviting lips and heady moans of delight. He giddily went about his day, counting down until he could suit up and find his Lady.

 

Everyone seemed to notice a change in him in his civilian life. His Father would watch him with bemused smiles, as Adrien threw himself into his modelling commitments with a zeal he’d never had before. Nathalie ordered him through his days with a fond shake of her head. Alya, Chloé and even Marinette began to lightly tease him about his ever-present beaming smiles. The latter seemingly more confident around him than she’d ever been before.

 

Even chilled out Nino spent his days demanding to know what was going on with his best friend. Adrien just shrugged, ever happy but unable to say the reason why.

 

Of course, Carapace, Rena Rouge and Queen Bee had something to say about it all. Rena and Carapace had yet to pinpoint exactly why Chat Noir and Ladybug were so jolly all the time. Instead they would roll their eyes and make jokes about oblivious idiots. Queenie, however, had always been very observant when it came to her idol. She _had_ noticed how often the pair were meeting up outside of patrols and Akuma attacks.

 

Adrien was not surprised when she grew hostile during their own paired patrols.

 

“Are you going to talk to me today?” He sighed, catching up with her on an old residential roof and raising an eyebrow when Bee shot him a death glare.

 

“Are you going to continue sneaking around with Lady?” She sniffed, folding her arms and spinning to face him.

 

“We’re not sneaking,” Adrien sighed, leaning on his baton and eyeing Bee wearily.

 

“Yes,” Bee retorted with a stamp of her foot. “Yes, you are!”

 

“You’re mad at us for keeping things private?” Adrien asked with a frown. “Surely, that’s better than throwing it in your face?”

 

“Throwing what in my face?” Bee pouted, stepping closer. “The fact that neither of you trust me, Turtle and Fox with your relationship, or the fact that you’re the winner. You managed to trick her into wanting you!”

 

“I haven’t tricked her into anything,” he snapped, standing up straighter and folding his baton down. “We’re just taking things slowly. You of all people should know how important Ladybug is to me. I’m not about to mess everything up by rushing into anything with her.”

 

“You both keep running off and acting like nothing is going on,” Bee said, with an edge to her voice. “You don’t even trust us with what’s going on. Surely, your teammates should be told if your relationship has changed?”

 

“Our relationship hasn’t changed enough to announce anything,” Adrien snorted. “We’re not sure what we are doing yet. It’s all new.”

 

“You’re not dating?” Bee frowned, unclenching her arms and watching him closely.

 

“How could we possibly date?” Adrien laughed. “We don’t know each other outside of the masks.”

 

“You haven’t revealed yourselves?” She asked incredulously.

 

“Not even a hint of a reveal,” he assured her.

 

Queenie bit her lip and squirmed on her feet. “It’s still not fair.”

 

“I’m sorry you feel that way,” Adrien sighed, moving closer to the blonde and holding a hand out to her. “I really don’t want our friendship to fall apart. I know this is hard on you and I’m not trying to gloat.”

 

Bee gingerly took his hand. “I’ve always loved her.”

 

“So have I,” Adrien said, with a gentle squeeze to her hand.

 

“She’s always _loved you_ ,” Bee muttered, allowing him to pull her into a hug.

 

“Don’t stay mad with us,” Adrien said, as Bee yielded and placed her arms around him.

 

“I’m allowed to be a little pissed off,” she huffed against him.

 

“Yes,” he agreed. “But you’re our little sting Bee. We’d miss you terribly if you decided to blank us forever more.”

 

“I’m not blanking Lady,” Queenie noted, pinching his side. “I could never do that. I blame you and your stupid pretty face.”

 

Adrien laughed heartily, as Bee pulled away and poked her tongue out at him. “Thanks. I think!”

 

“Will you promise to be honest with us?” Bee asked as they broke apart. “You don’t need to tell us everything, but when things are official will you tell us?”

 

“ _If_ we become official,” Adrien replied honestly, “I’ll make sure that you and Ren are told first. We won’t hide it from you. Just, maybe let us have a little time to ourselves now. I’m not sure what’s going on with us yet. It’s new and exciting, but definitely not set in stone.”

 

“Thank you,” Bee smiled sadly. “We’d better crack on with this bloody patrol.”

 

He had always had a slight rivalry with Queenie. They got on like a house on fire most of the time, but their shared love for Ladybug had always created a little competition. Adrien could see why Bee would be annoyed by him and understood her thinking over their secrecy. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to swallow his disappointment if Ladybug had decided to choose Bee to pull into abandoned alleyways to snog senseless.

 

However, a few hours later, as Ladybug guided his hands to her arse and sucked at a tender spot on his neck, Adrien thanked every God that had ever been worshipped that she’d picked him.

 

~0~

 

“Dude!” Nino laughed delightedly as Adrien sat himself opposite his best friend in the ice-cream parlour.

 

“What?” Adrien asked, flattening his hair as Nino gave him an impressed smirk.

 

“I knew you had finally started dicking around!”

 

Adrien blushed a furious red and flicked his friend’s hat. “I’m not dicking around.”

 

“That lovely collection of love bites tells a different story!” Nino cackled. “Someone has gone to town on you.”

 

“Shut up,” Adrien hissed, looking about him and pulling his favourite blue scarf tighter around his neck.

 

Nino continued to laugh gleefully, looking behind Adrien and howling even louder.

 

“What are you so happy about,” Alya asked, shoving her ex-boyfriend along his booth seat so she could sit down. Adrien followed so that Marinette could sit next to him. He sent her a tentative smile despite his embarrassed state. Her little wave making his chest seize with fondness. This was the woman he owed his life to, after all.

 

Nino continued to laugh uproariously, banging the table in his enthusiasm.

 

“Alright,” Adrien complained, bringing his attention back to the raucous friend. “It’s not that funny.”

 

“What’s this?” Alya asked, with a raise of an eyebrow. “Do I detect the smell of something tasty?”

 

“Our boy has finally grown up!” Nino grinned, pulling Alya into a hug. They had stayed great friends after their mutual break up. Each wanting to go their own way and try new things. Although Adrien was also sure they hooked up often to recreate some of their indisputable desire for each other.

 

“You’ve gotten yourself laid!” Alya cried, gazing happily over at him. “Oh my God!”

 

“No,” Adrien groaned, slapping a hand to his eyes. “No, that’s not –”

 

“Between you and Marinette never bothering to enjoy the lusts of life –”

 

“– Hey!”

 

“I honestly thought the pair of you would end up dying without ever bothering,” Alya laughed, with a shake of her head. “But look at you both! First Marinette finds herself some hottie to play with, and now you have too!”

 

“Marinette?” Nino asked, his attention going to the blushing girl. “Holy shit!”

 

“Alya!” She moaned, hiding her head in her folded arms on the table. Adrien watched her with shared mortification.

 

“Adrien and Marinette have both hooked up with someone,” Nino stated, looking between them thoughtfully. His laughter gone as he contemplated them both. “Fuck!”

 

“You’re right!” Alya gasped, grabbing at Nino’s arm. “Why didn’t I see it?”

 

“See what?” Marinette asked, looking worriedly up at her two friends.

 

“You’re hooking up with each other!” Nino replied, a slow grin spreading across his face.

 

“What?”

 

“Are you serious?”

 

“We really aren’t,” Adrien stated, looking over at Marinette as she glanced back at him.

 

“No,” she agreed, her cheeks pink. “We haven’t seen each other in a while.”

 

That wasn’t exactly true, as Adrien had obviously seen her as Chat Noir. Not that he was about to share that little fact.

 

“The last time we saw each other was with the pair of you!” Adrien assured them.

 

“Well, how do you explain both of you suddenly getting a beau?” Alya asked, looking between the them with a critical eye.

 

“Coincidence?” Marinette shrugged awkwardly.

 

Nino and Alya sat open mouthed.

 

“Coincidence?”

 

“Coincidence,” Adrien agreed, giving Marinette another tentative smile.

 

“I’m surrounded by idiots,” Alya sighed, pulling Nino up. “Come on, let’s get the ice-cream and leave these two to their secrets.”

 

“What’s the name of your love bite maker?” Nino asked, as he was pulled up.

 

“I’m not telling you!” Adrien and Marinette replied at the same time. They paused to glance at each other in shock.

 

“Idiots!” Alya sang, guiding Nino away from them and towards the till.

 

“I want something minty,” Marinette called after her, which Alya rolled her eyes and waved off, leaving the friends in perplexed silence.

 

It was rather a shock when Adrien met up with Ladybug later that day to find that she tasted rather like mint choc chip. He couldn’t help but comment on it.

 

“My Lady,” he hummed, pulling her closer on their roof alcove. “You taste wonderful.”

 

Ladybug giggled, keeping herself straddled over him. “Do I now?”

 

Adrien nodded, nipping at her ear playfully. “A minty delight.”

 

“Well,” she replied, her breath ghosting over his face. “I may have had a little ice-cream with my friends earlier.”

 

Adrien paused, releasing her ear and looking up at his masked beauty curiously. “Sounds fun!”

 

“I’m not sure I’d say I had fun,” Ladybug replied, kissing along his jaw as her hand travelled down his chest and towards his firm stomach. “They thoroughly enjoyed teasing me about you.”

 

“Me?” He swallowed, eyes falling shut as she boldly caressed his muscular frame and sat herself firmly over his lap.

 

“Yep,” she sighed, guided his hands over her own glorious figure. “They actually accused me of fooling around with one of our friends, but obviously it’s not him I’ve been kissing all over Paris.”

 

Adrien blinked his eyes open. The dizzying sensation of touching and being touched dulling the impact of her words. His mind almost failing completely when Ladybug slowly placed his hands over her breasts.

 

“I really wanted to tell them that it was Chat Noir I’ve been making out with,” she continued, oblivious of his vegetable state and leaning seductively into him. “My gorgeous blond _Kitty_ , who has been leaving his marks all over my neck.”

 

A groan followed her words, as Adrien lost all ability to speak. His hands cupping her soft and womanly chest with delight. He sat up straighter to capture her mouth in a hot kiss which left them both panting for more.

 

“You can tell them,” he replied; his voice low and wanting. “You can tell whoever you want.”

 

Ladybug laughed, running her fingers through his hair affectionately. “Can you imagine? I think my best friend would have a fit. She’s been a serious superhero nut for as long as I’ve known her.”

 

Alya flashed across Adrien’s mind as Ladybug wrapped herself more firmly over him. Further kisses chased his friend away just as quickly.

 

“It’s actually a little strange,” Ladybug admitted, sometime later. Their lips continuing to latch onto all available skin.

 

“What’s that?” He asked, continuing his mission to graze a kiss over every freckle.

 

“The friend they thought I’d been fooling around with is the same guy that I’ve liked all these years,” she admitted quietly.

 

“Really?” Adrien asked, pausing to watch his Bug as she wiggled against him.

 

“Funny how things work out,” Ladybug smiled reassuringly at him. “I wouldn’t want it any other way. I think I was always meant to do this with you Chaton, and Adrien was always going to be my friend.”

 

“ _Adrien_ ,” he whispered, the connections from years of coincidences and circling each other falling into place.

 

“Hmm,” Ladybug nodded, playing with his bell. “You don’t have anything to worry about Kitty.”

 

“I don’t?” He asked, before leaning back on his elbows to observe Ladybug for all the things he’d missed over the years. “I really don’t.”

 

She giggled, so very much like Marinette that he could have punched himself. Ladybug had been in his civilian life all along. She’d been his first friend and had shyly allowed him to enter her life with a dogged determination. Every key moment of the last few years had involved her in some way. The realisation of it all was staggering.

 

“My Lady,” he uttered in awe, pulling her towards him and pouring every amazed feeling into his kiss.

 

Ladybug’s slightly love drunk expression as he pulled away made Adrien laugh in delight and tug her in for another. He spent the rest of their evening together trying to show her exactly how grateful he was to have won her affections.

 

He then spent the next few days thinking about whether he should tell Ladybug that he’d worked out her identity. On the one hand, Adrien desperately wanted to go to her as Marinette and take her on a proper date. On the other, he knew how important her mask was and Adrien really didn’t want to force a reveal.

 

Rena Rouge found him pondering his options on a sunny Sunday morning. He’d placed himself above the city in his favourite thinking spot and had already spent a good hour chewing over every possible option he had.

 

“Trouble in paradise Tomcat?” The Fox smirked, plonking herself down next to him.

 

“What are you doing up and about so early?” Adrien asked, looking over her and noting her tired expression.

 

“I may have had a crazy night out with Bee last night,” she grinned, showing glistening teeth. “But her Dad is a bit of a dick, so if I had been caught in her bedroom this morning shit would have kicked off.”

 

“Hold up,” Adrien replied, raising an eyebrow. “You and Bee?”

 

Rena shrugged, “I think she’s trying to get over Ladybug.”

 

“And you don’t mind?”

 

“I’ve always been open to anything,” Rena smiled, “and we’re friends. Who better to play with?”

 

Adrien nodded his agreement.

 

“I think she’s always liked girls, but has been unsure how to go about exploring those feelings.”

 

“And you like girls and are happy to support her exploration,” Adrien noted with a smile of his own.

 

“I like both sexes,” Rena laughed, pulling her large tail up and over her knees. “Besides, we know each other outside the masks. It makes our sneaking around a little easier.”

 

“I keep forgetting you know your civilian selves,” Adrien replied, spinning excitedly to face her. “Can I ask you something?”

 

“Shoot,” Rena said, gesturing with her hand.

 

“I think I may know who Ladybug is,” he began quickly. “Actually, I’m pretty sure I know exactly who she is. It’s amazing really, she’s been in _my_ civilian life for ages and I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to realise!”

 

“Woah, woah, woah!” Rena halted his blabbering. “You know who Ladybug is behind the mask?”

 

Chat nodded enthusiastically.

 

“Are you serious?”

 

“I know,” he smiled happily. “I know, it’s so amazing.”

 

Rena gaped at him. “I’m so jealous right now.”

 

Adrien laughed, patting her shoulder consolingly. “Honestly Foxy, I can’t believe it!”

 

“Have you told her?”

 

“Well, that’s what I want to ask you. Do you think I should tell her?” Adrien asked, his smile dropping. “She’s so intent on the masks for our safety.”

 

Rena tapped her chin thoughtfully. “I kinda think you’ve gotta. Ladybug would hate it if she found out you’d kept it from her. Plus, you didn’t do it on purpose. It was an accident, right?”

 

“Right,” Adrien confirmed.

 

“Then you’ve gotta say something Sweetie,” Rena instructed kindly.

 

Adrien nodded, feeling nervous anticipation at the thought of discussing all this with his Lady.

 

The matter of how was something he wasn’t quite sure of yet. It was such an important conversation that Adrien really didn’t want to fuck it up with his usual dose of bad luck. It required planning and the perfect setting. It wasn’t something to rush.

 

So why Adrien found himself perched on Marinette’s balcony railing that evening, dressed in his super suit, he couldn’t say.  

 

“Chat Noir!” She gasped, letting her trapdoor fall shut as her eyes found his.

 

“Hi,” he replied, jumping down and giving her a little wave.

 

“What – What are you doing here?” She stuttered, holding her tray of cookies and blinking up at him in confusion. Her cute pyjamas doing all kinds of things to Adrien’s heart. “Is there an Akuma?”

 

“Oh,” he mumbled. “Erm, no. No Akuma.”

 

“Oh, that’s good,” she said, moving towards her deck chair and continuing to watch him carefully. “Would you – erm, would you like to join me?”

 

“Yes!” Adrien exclaimed, then flinched at the sound of his over eagerness. “Yes. That would be nice. Thanks.”

 

She chuckled, placing the tray on a little table and gesturing for him to take one. Adrien did so, seating himself in the chair beside her.

 

“So,” Marinette said, after he’d stuffed a whole cookie into his mouth. “Everything okay.”

 

Adrien swallowed, smiling over at her anxiously. “I. Erm. I came to say thank you. I realised that after you saved me I didn’t come and say thanks.”

 

“There’s no need for that,” Marinette assured him with a soft smile. “I did what anyone would have done in that situation.”

 

“I don’t think so,” Chat replied, with a shake of his head. “It was incredibly brave and incredibly risky. Only someone like Ladybug would have jumped into that river.”

 

Marinette flushed, her eyes shifting nervously about her. “I couldn’t let you drown _Kitty_.”

 

“Well, I’m very grateful,” he laughed; Her pet name for him sounding wonderful coming from her civilian mouth. “I would love to do something for you in thanks.”

 

“Not necessary,” she smiled sweetly. “It is the least I can do for all the times you have protected me!”

 

“Protected you?” Adrien chuckled, knowing full well what she meant.

 

“Me. Paris. Everyone!” Marinette replied, gesturing wildly with her hand. “You’re far too important to all of us.”

 

“Fine praise indeed,” he flushed, fixing his fringe and laughing bashfully.

 

“Praise which is well earned,” Marinette assured him, picking up a cookie and nibbling at it happily. “Surely you can see how much we need you?”

 

“I’m beginning to,” Adrien admitted, accepting another cookie for himself. “Ladybug has made sure of that.”

 

“She should have done so much sooner,” Marinette muttered, chewing with a faraway look in her eyes. “She wasted so much time.”

 

Swallowing, Adrien placed his hand over Marinette’s smaller one. “Not at all. Everything has happened as it should.”

 

She paused, glancing over at him in shock. “You think so?”

 

Adrien laughed, “I know so, Princess.”

 

“Oh,” Marinette inhaled shakily. “I’m glad.”

 

The nervous little smile she shot him as he leant back and took another cookie left him in no doubt that she was considering his words with her usual level of quick understanding. But, even as Marinette raised an eyebrow questioningly at him, Adrien couldn’t find it in himself to admit that he knew she was Ladybug. It was the perfect opportunity, yet he couldn’t do it. Nerves, an inner voice of doubt, and years of knowing her stance on identity reveals left Adrien unable to say a word.

 

“I should – erm,” he began, scratching at his cheek. “I should probably get going. Saving the city and all that.”

 

Marinette giggled, following him as he stood. “I thought there were no Akumas?”

 

“The life of a superhero is more than just stopping Akumas,” Adrien babbled, taking out his baton and almost dropping it.

 

“Yes, of course,” Marinette continued to chuckle, helping him clasp said baton in his hand. “Silly me.”

 

She watched him fondly, causing Adrien’s cheeks to grow pinker by the second.

 

“Thank you again,” he mumbled somewhat shyly.

 

“Don’t mention it Kitty,” Marinette replied with too much affection for him to bear, and then killing him outright by standing on tiptoes to place a kiss on Adrien’s warm face.

 

“Goodbye my La- Princess,” Chat stuttered, stepping back and hitting the railing. “Princess. Goodbye my Princess.”

 

Marinette gave him another pondering glance, as he saluted awkwardly and scrambled over the metal bars to make his exit.

 

He would tell her.

 

He just needed a few more days to figure out exactly what to say. It needed to be absolutely perfect and Adrien was not going to screw it up with nerves and his ridiculous awkwardness.

 

A few more days.

 

That was all Adrien needed.  

 

His Lady was not going to be kept in the dark for much longer.

 

~0~

 

 


	3. The Happily Ever After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All the reveals...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you have all enjoyed reading! Feel free to review and send the Big Bang team some hugs for organising the event. You can come and chat with me on Tumblr (AmyEatsCake), as well as Orangepocketsm8 and Twindoodle. We would love to know what you think of our contributions to the BB. 
> 
> Thanks again ladies. You have been Miraculous ;)

3\. The Happily Ever After

 

Accidently (on purpose) bumping into Marinette all over their university campus occurred constantly over the next week. They went for coffee, had a sushi lunch, studied together in the library and then the park. They even managed a trip to the cinema. Adrien spent the entire time pinching himself; he was doing all of this with _Ladybug!_

 

She was unbelievably cute, unbelievably lovely and reassuringly _Marinette_ in each encounter. A little bashful and slightly clumsy at times, but always kind and always excited to spend time with him. It was addictive, the feeling she left within him. And Adrien was quite sure her adorableness had been increased tenfold recently.

 

Or maybe he’d just never bothered to look hard enough.

 

Adrien had always loved his sweet friend Marinette. Only now, he was realising exactly how much his love stretched and in what way. It was an amazing feeling, to know that he adored her in and out of the super suit. They had naturally found each other and built a friendship together.

 

The strange thing about their daily encounters was that during the evenings, when Adrien met her as Chat Noir, Ladybug was all over him. Within minutes of touching down, she was on him like a rash. Her normal request of finding somewhere secluded completely ignored as she laced her arms around his neck and bombarded him with insistent kisses. Adrien struggled to keep up with her as she ravenously sent him to heaven and back.

 

By the Friday, Adrien was quite sure his desire for her had reached fever pitch.

 

With a grab of his kitty bell and a flirtatious glance his way, Ladybug led him to the glasshouse rooftop where she’d set up a picnic blanket.

 

“What’s this?” He asked, placing his baton in its holder and laughing when Ladybug wiggled happily on the spot. It was such a _Marinette_ trait and even more endearing when she was dressed in spots.

 

“A date!” She sang, pulling him towards the checked pink blanket and picking up a large hamper.

 

“A date?” Chat beamed, as they sat down.

 

“Yep!” Ladybug said excitedly, pulling out a variety of different treats for them to enjoy. “I think I owe you one.”

 

“Shouldn’t I be the one taking you out?” He asked, accepting a plate of quiche and a fork. “Wining and dining?”

 

“Let me have this one,” She purred, kissing his nose before settling opposite and digging into her own slice of homemade deliciousness.

They feasted like kings; Ladybug having bought a range of different dishes for him to try. His obvious favourites being the pastries from her parent’s bakery which he’d had a hundred times before.

 

They chatted the evening away and Adrien felt seriously full and seriously content as they laid out on the blanket.

 

“What are you thinking?” Ladybug asked, resting folded arms on his chest and watching him happily.

 

“I was just wondering how the Miraculous holder of bad luck and disaster could be so bloody lucky,” he admitted, absentmindedly rubbing circles over her back.

 

“It’s not luck,” Ladybug laughed, placing a sweet kiss to his lips.

 

Adrien was quite sure she was wrong, but all other thoughts left him when Ladybug began to trail her glorious mouth over his jaw and down his neck. Her eagerness to shower him in affection clearly evident. But Adrien was just as eager and just as determined. So, once she’d left her first mark, Adrien hoisted her more firmly against him and then rolled so that Ladybug was sprawled out under him.

 

“Chaton!” she laughed, delighting in his scorching kisses and wandering hands.

 

“Is this not what you wanted?” Adrien asked; a hand cupping her left breast and appreciating every inch of her. “You’ve been amorous all week.”

 

“You want me just as much,” Ladybug murmured, running her own hand over his arse. “Don’t try and deny it.”

 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Adrien promised, pressing gladly into her and kissing her soundly.

 

They spent the rest of their evening showing off just how wanted each of them were to the other. Knowing that Marinette was hidden under Ladybug’s mask – moaning against his mouth, touching previously unexplored areas of his body, and falling apart beneath him when he touched _her_ – was extremely satisfying. It gave Adrien the courage to believe that they could make this work.

 

He came away with only a small amount of guilt bubbling in his stomach.

 

A few more days.

 

Adrien would tell Marinette in a few more days.

 

~0~

“Kitty?”

 

Adrien felt his eyes widen in shock as Ladybug’s voice travelled through the empty library. They had just purified an Akuma on their university campus, and Adrien had run for his life to the nearest place for a safe transformation. He had not expected Ladybug to follow him.

 

“Chat, I know you’re in here!” Ladybug called, at a slight distance from him. “Are you okay? That coffee looked like it really burnt you.”

 

It had at the time. The akumatized victim had had some serious issues with his morning coffee and had decided to repay the barista with a series of coffee related water guns. Adrien wasn’t quite sure how he’d managed to get attacked so vigorously by liquid substances lately, but he was getting a little pissed off by it.

 

“Chaton?”

 

Plagg shot him a smirk and whispered, “you gonna answer her _lover boy_?”

 

“Transform me!” Adrien hissed, desperately running behind the tall shelving units and away from Ladybug’s voice.

 

“You know the rules,” Plagg grinned with gleaming, sharp teeth. “I need my cheese first!”

 

“Quickly,” Adrien huffed, opening his jacket pocket so Plagg could slip inside and eat his camembert.

 

“This is the perfect chance to tell her who you are Kid,” Plagg replied wisely, before flying into the open pocket and out of site.

 

“Chat?” Ladybug asked, coming around the corner just as Adrien span round.

 

“Ladybug!” Adrien exclaimed loudly. “H-Hey Ladybug. H-Hi. Hello L-Ladybug. H-Hi!”

 

“Adrien?” Ladybug frowned, looking past him and round the room. “Have you seen Chat Noir?”

 

“E-Erm. N-No. No,” Adrien cleared his throat. “No, I haven’t.”

 

Ladybug stopped her glancing about to eye him up. “You haven’t?”

 

“Nope,” Adrien coughed, rubbing the back of his neck and smiling as brightly as possible. “Just me. I came in here to avoid the attack.”

 

“Smart idea,” Ladybug nodded, looking around one last time and then giving up. “Where did he go?”

 

She sighed, flicking the fringe from her eyes and then looking back at Adrien. The action instantly made him stand a little taller, which did not go unnoticed by Ladybug. She blinked up at him and then flushed a pretty pink.

 

It was at that precise moment that Adrien realised something.

 

“I’m your celebrity crush!” He cried, thinking back to the conversation they had had before Christmas.

 

Ladybug proceeded to make a number of unique and completely justifiable noises of distress. “How? What? Why? E-Erm, How?”

 

“Oh God,” Adrien groaned, hiding his face in his hands. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. It’s just someone told me you had a crush on me and I just remembered when you were looking _at_ me. I didn’t actually mean to say it out loud!”

 

“T-That’s okay,” Ladybug replied awkwardly, shifting nervously on her feet. “I – erm – I did have one. For years, actually.”

 

“You did?” Adrien asked, peeking out at her from behind his hands.

 

Ladybug nodded bashfully.

 

“W-why didn’t you say anything?”

 

“I don’t know,” Ladybug admitted quietly, folding her arms around herself. “Well, maybe I do. It’s not an easy thing to admit, you know?”

 

Adrien did know. He’d had plenty of experience of failed attempts at telling Ladybug how much he loved her. She’d always seen it as a joke. Until recently, of course.

 

“You always made me a little awestruck and I could never get my words out,” Ladybug continued, with a shrug. “Besides, it wasn’t my place to tell you things like that. You’re Adrien. I’m Ma- I’m Ladybug.”

 

He caught her slip. Marinette had had a crush on him, and she spent their school years getting her words muddled up and twisted whenever they spoke. Adrien could see it all so clearly now. It had never been about the gum and his first day of school. Marinette _had_ liked him long before Adrien had even realised.

 

“You’re amazing,” he muttered, taking a step closer. “I’ve always adored you.”

 

“R-Really?” Ladybug stammered, looking shocked and a little flustered.

 

Adrien nodded, coming forward to cup her right cheek. “I’ve had the largest Ladybug crush for years.”

 

“Wow,” Ladybug breathed, eyes wide and mouth ajar. “Adrien, that’s –”

 

Something crossed Ladybug’s mind, causing her to shake her head and take a step back from his touch. She staggered backwards into the bookshelf, causing a barrage of books to fall upon them. Adrien tried to halt their descent, only to be soundly hit himself.

 

“Oh shit,” Ladybug exclaimed as the books rained down. “Oh God. I’m so clumsy. Sorry. So sorry.”

 

Adrien laughed as the final book hit the floor.

 

“Well,” he grinned as they gazed around at the mess she’d created. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

 

Ladybug shot him a weak smile, before crouching to start fixing her mistake. “I’m sorry, Adrien.”

 

“Hey,” Adrien assured her, bending to help. “It’s not a problem.”

 

“I’m with Chat now,” she whispered, pausing in her mission of putting the books away. “I’m not – I did like you for so long. I really did. And I think you’re wonderful.”

 

“But,” he smiled, feeling his heart burst for her, “Chat.”

 

“He means everything to me,” Ladybug admitted shyly, holding a book to her chest and looking off into the distance. “I didn’t see it for so long, but he’s my – he’s everything.”

 

“He’d be glad to hear you say that,” Adrien replied, feeling his face heat up and his stomach flip. “I think he’s wanted to be with you for a very long time.”

 

“Yeah,” Ladybug sighed happily, before coming back to herself and placing the book back on its shelf.

 

They worked silently to put each book away. Adrien couldn’t stop glancing over at her; each time attempting to come clean about his true identity and failing. Why was this so hard?

 

“Thanks,” Ladybug said, as the final book was put back. She gave a little wave and took a step away from him. “I guess I’ll see you around, _Handsome_.”

 

She instantly gasped, placing her hands over her mouth.

 

Adrien laughed, scratching his cheek. “I guess you will, _Beautiful_.”

 

Ladybug dropped her hands and rolled her eyes. “Alright. Alright. That was a slip of the tongue.”

 

“But you do think I’m handsome?” Adrien beamed, unable to contain himself.

 

“Hmm,” Ladybug replied, “but Chat is gorgeous and he’s my Kitty.”

 

“He is indeed,” Adrien chuckled, as Ladybug gave him a funny look. He continued to smile cheerfully, even as she frowned and waved goodbye for a second time.

 

“Goodbye Adrien Agreste,” she said softly, before turning and leaving the library as quickly as possible.

 

“Goodbye my Lady,” he whispered, leaning against the shelving and sighing dreamily.

 

“You,” Plagg huffed, zipping out of Adrien’s pocket and eyeing him sternly, “are an idiot.”

 

“Yes,” Adrien agreed, “yes I am.”

 

“Why didn’t you tell her?”

 

“I couldn’t,” Adrien admitted, becoming serious. “Every time I try and say something, my mind goes blank and I instantly feel like I’m gonna throw up.”

 

“But she likes you,” Plagg snapped, whirling around his head. “That won’t change if you tell her who you are!”

 

“It might,” Adrien muttered, looking away from Plagg’s piercing gaze. “It’s taken so long to get Ladybug to like Chat. What if she changes her mind? What if she gets bored of Chat and then won’t talk to me as Adrien? I don’t want to lose her.”

 

“The girl is crazy about you,” Plagg snorted. “She likes Adrien and she likes Chat. You haven’t got anything to worry about Kiddo.”

 

“You think so?”

 

“I know so,” Plagg assured him, patting Adrien’s nose in what was probably meant to be comforting. “But keep this a secret from her and you’ll regret it.”

 

Adrien knew this.

 

And yet he stalled.

 

~0~

 

“Can I ask you something?”

 

Adrien looked over at Marinette quizzically. “Sure?”

 

They had ended up going to her favourite coffee shop for the fourth day in a row. It had happened rather naturally; in that they seemed to find each other during their breaks between lectures. Adrien had suggested going somewhere for a change of scenery and Marinette volunteered her favourite place to get coffee – A tiny establishment a block from their campus with the most comfortable sofas Adrien had ever sat on in his life.

 

“This is going to sound weird,” Marinette admitted, holding her large cup with both hands and staring at the dark liquid within with a look of consideration. “Really weird.”

 

“I’m okay with weird,” Adrien assured her, taking a sip of his own creamy concoction and waiting patiently for her question.

 

“You’ve been spending more time with me,” Marinette noted, her eyes flicking up at him and then back to her drink.

 

“I have,” Adrien agreed.

 

“Why?”

 

With a rub to the back of his neck, Adrien smiled somewhat shyly. “I realised that I’ve not given you the attention you deserve. We’ve been friends for years and I allowed us to keep a slight distance from each other.”

 

Marinette nodded, “I was mainly to blame for that.”

 

“No, it was both of us. I was kinda shy and unsure when it came to you,” He said gently. “At first I thought it was because of the gum incident. I thought that you probably hated me and were putting up with me because of your friendship with Nino.”

 

“That’s really not what it was,” Marinette blushed, moving a hand away from her cup and tapping at the hardwood table.

 

“I know that now,” Adrien chuckled. “And I feel like such a prat for not realising everything sooner.”

 

“You know about the crush,” Marinette stated, refusing to keep eye contact and biting down hard on her lovely lower lip.

 

“Yeah,” Adrien muttered, “but –”

 

“Is that why you’ve been hanging around me more?” Marinette grimaced, “like pity?”

 

“What!” Adrien gasped, staring at her with an open mouth. “Of course it’s not. How could you even think that? I just – I realised that we could have so much more if I wasn’t so reserved. You’re amazing Marinette, and I love spending time with you.”

 

“I have a boyfriend!”

 

“I – Oh,” Adrien replied, as his brain seemed to shut down at her outburst. “You do?”

 

“Yes,” Marinette said, with a confident nod. “I do. I have a wonderful boyfriend and although I’m more than happy for us to continue hanging out as friends, I can’t offer you anything else.”

 

“That’s – That’s not what I,” Adrien began, before shaking his head and placing his hands over her fidgeting ones. “I’m just trying to be a better friend.”

 

“Oh,” Marinette said, clearing her throat. “Well, that’s good.”

 

“Yeah,” Adrien chuckled, squeezing her fingers affectionately. “Yeah it is.”

 

Marinette smiled, her blush continuing to colour her face. “I didn’t mean to presume.”

 

Adrien waved it off; letting go of her hands reluctantly. His smile remained, however. She had a boyfriend. Chat Noir was her boyfriend. She’d just confirmed their relationship status. Fuck. _He_ was Chat Noir.

 

“I have a girlfriend,” Adrien muttered, wonder evident in his voice.

 

“You do?” Marinette asked, looking over at him properly for the first time since this conversation began.

 

“She’s _amazing_ ,” he laughed joyously, finishing his drink and placing it back onto the table with added zeal. “Honestly Marinette, I can’t even begin to describe how lucky I am.”

 

Marinette laughed at his declaration. “I’m glad things are going well for you. If anyone deserves to be happy, it’s you Adrien.”

 

“Thank you,” he replied earnestly. “As do you.”

 

“Oh, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been!” She admitted, a blissful little look crossing her face and making Adrien all kinds of messed up inside.

 

And when he found her masked up and patrolling Paris that evening, it was Adrien’s turn to hungrily snog her senseless.

 

His brain could not remove the heavenly expression Marinette had had when thinking about _him_. It shot fire through his veins and made it impossible to think about anything other than loving her.

 

“Kitty,” Ladybug groaned, once he’d found the perfect spot to sit them down and kiss every freckle upon her face.

 

“Yes, my Lady?” Adrien hummed into her skin, as he created a path of kisses towards her ear.

 

“What’s got you so passionate?” She asked, wrapping her arms around his neck as Adrien adjusted her more firmly over him. Why was she so good at straddling him?

 

“Isn’t that obvious?” Adrien chuckled, sucking and nibbling with abandon. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you all day.”

 

“Is that so?” Ladybug mumbled, her eyes falling shut as his hands gripped her arse and pulled her even closer. “Well, I’ve had so much experience of that recently.”

 

“Really, now. Do tell,” Adrien muttered, continuing his trail down her neck and rocking slightly against Ladybug’s warmth.

 

“The only advice I can give you,” she murmured, guided one of his hands away from her bum and up to a wonderful breast. “Is to power through. Keep doing exactly what you’re – Ohh – doing.”

 

“I can do that,” Adrien assured her, with another insistent rock of his hips. “I can definitely do that, my Lady.”

 

“Yes,” she nodded vigorously, moving in time with him and sending her own kisses along his jawline. “You are so clever Kitty. You k-know exactly what to do.”

 

Normally, their make out sessions reached a natural stopping point. Normally, they would heavily pet and kiss each other into a frenzy before one of the pair halted further proceedings. Adrien always ended up going home and ecstatically reliving events whilst he took care of his inevitable hard-on.

 

It was an unwritten rule between the pair and one that neither had pushed the boundary of. Until now.

 

“Don’t s-stop,” Ladybug whispered, as Adrien continued to run his hands over her body.

 

“I’ll have to stop eventually,” he replied, as she moved dizzyingly against him and placed her forehead over his.

 

“I want to – I want us to keep g-going,” Ladybug stammered, her fingers running through the hair at the back of Adrien’s head and rubbing her body over him arduously slow.

 

Adrien groaned loudly – only to be silenced by a hard kiss.

 

“My girlfriend gets w-what she wants,” he mumbled against her lips, thrusting to meet her body’s demands.

 

“I a-am,” Ladybug babbled, kissing him desperately and keeping one hand in his hair as the other clutched his shoulder as an anchor. “I’m yours, Chaton. I’m y-your girlfriend. I’m your l-lady. I-I’m –”

 

“ – Beautiful,” Adrien gasped, their foreheads knocking slightly as they grew faster in their grinding. “So fucking beautiful. S-so perfect, my L-Lady.”

 

“Chat,” she cried, her gaze catching his, as everything built towards an electrifying end.

 

Adrien watched as Ladybug bit down on her lower lip and fell over the edge. She moaned in astounding delight as her orgasm rolled across her entire body; making her grip him harder. Her glorious blue eyes fluttered shut and Adrien followed her into oblivion.

 

“M-Marinette,” he groaned, holding her against him as he came. “M-My Lady.”

 

She gasped, opening her eyes and pulling away to fully look at him. “W-What did you just s-say?”

 

Adrien blinked, “Sorry?”

 

The high of his own orgasm clouding his mind and making it hard to think.

 

“Y-you called me _Marinette!_ ” She replied, her hand cover her mouth as she watched him in astonishment. Her sensual expression lost to one of complete shock.

 

“What?” Adrien said, trying to shake his own dreamy looks to focus on what Ladybug was saying. “I – What?”

 

“You called me Marinette,” Ladybug repeated, scrambling off him and crawling backwards. “You –You know who I am?”

 

Adrien opened his mouth, and then shut it. What did he say? What did he do here?

 

“You do, don’t you!” Ladybug accused, watching him nod and gasping unhappily. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

 

“I didn’t know how,” Adrien admitted, the confession sounding weak even to his ears. “I was going to tell you eventually. I was just trying to work out h-how.”

 

“How long?” She whispered.

 

“Ladybug,” Adrien began, before she cut him off.

 

“How long, Chat?”

 

“It started with _Malicious Mermaid_ ,” Adrien admitted, scrabbling to stand as Ladybug got up and began pacing.

 

“You kept following me?” She knew all this, but Chat nodded his agreement.

 

“After that, it was little things,” Adrien said quietly, rubbing his neck and feeling the after effects of their tryst disappearing rapidly. “Until the day you had ice-cream with your friends. I had seen you as Marinette during the day. I knew you’d had mint choc chip and I knew who your friends were.”

 

“This is why I told you not to spy!” She snapped, placing her head in her hands and moaning. “Why didn’t you just come clean? I would have been pissed off that you but it wouldn’t have felt like this. You’ve known for ages and kept it from me!”

 

“I was scared,” Adrien admitted shamefully. “I was so nervous that you’d not want things to continue between us that every time I tried to say something, I clammed up.”

 

“Why would you think that?” Ladybug huffed, stopping her movements and looking at him as if he was crazy. “I’m mad about you. Surely you’ve realised that by now?”

 

“But you don’t know who I am under the mask,” he muttered, avoiding her gaze. “I knew that as soon as I told you I knew who you were, I’d need to tell who _I_ was. That’s a scary conversation.”

 

“I can’t believe this,” she sobbed, hugging herself. “I can’t believe you allowed me to blindly carry on as if nothing had happened. I knew you were suspicious after the drowning. I knew you’d been following me. You should have just said something.”

 

“You’re right,” Adrien replied, stepping forward and reaching out to her. Ladybug brushed him off with a frown. “I’m so sorry. I’ll tell you everything. I’ll make it up to you. I’ll tell you who I am.”

 

“Don’t bother,” she said shortly. “I don’t want to know. It’s safer if I don’t know anyway.”

 

“My Lady,” Adrien begged, “please don’t do this. I know you’re mad but I can make it up to you.”

 

“I can’t talk to you,” Ladybug mumbled, walking away from him and pulling her yo-yo out. “Not right now, Chat. I need to think.”

 

And she left.

 

His Lady left him on a rooftop, with a sticky suit and a heavy heart.

 

Adrien knew he had only himself to blame.

 

~0~

 

“If you don’t get out of bed soon,” Plagg drawled above his head, “your poor excuse of a Father will send his nosey assistant to come haul your arse out of bed. Then he’ll be clued in on exactly how much of a hole you’ve crawled yourself into.”

 

“I don’t care,” Adrien grumbled, from under his pillow. “I’m not getting up.”

 

“Fine,” Plagg sighed, wiggling under the covers to look at him. “But when you have eight doctors poking at you and a hoard of bodyguards outside your door, you’ll regret the decision to mope.”

 

“I’m not going to the fucking photoshoot and I’m not getting out of this bed,” Adrien replied, grabbing Plagg and depositing him on his nightstand. “Deal with it.”

 

“Look Kid,” Plagg said, watching him with his usual green glow. “I know you’re dealing with the fallout of Ladybug’s anger, but this isn’t the way to handle it. Get yourself up and get dressed. I’m all for ditching the modelling gig, but lounging about in bed and feeling sorry for yourself isn’t healthy and isn’t going to fix things.”

 

“I don’t want to get up,” Adrien muttered despondently. “I want to stay in this bed for the rest of my miserable life.”

 

“Well, you’re Chat Noir so you’re gonna have to suck it up eventually,” Plagg noted wisely. “Unless you’re willing to make your little Lady Love deal with Akumas on her own.”

 

“Of course I’m not,” Adrien huffed, throwing his pillow across the room and sitting up to glare at the fact Plagg was right. “I just want to spend the rest of the hours of my day ignoring the world from the comfort of my bed.”

 

“You’re being stupid,” Plagg replied, flying in front of his face and poking Adrien’s nose. “Ditch the photoshoot. Go find Nino and let off some steam. Ladybug will come around. You just need to give her time to get over her feelings of betrayal.”

 

“And how long will that take?”

 

“How long is a piece of string?” Plagg grinned toothily. “Plus, your Bug is a stubborn one.”

 

Adrien growled, pushing his covers off and getting clumsily out of bed. “I suppose you’re right.”

 

“I’m always right,” Plagg whirled about him lazily. “Surely you know that by now?”

 

“Yeah, Yeah,” Adrien waved the little cat off and headed towards the shower. “I would still rather live under a rock forever more.”

 

It took much longer than usual to wash, dress and send a few texts to his best bud. Thankfully, Nino agreed to meet him for lunch without any discussion about his notable absence the past few days.

 

Adrien sent another message, letting Nathalie know that he would be unable to do the shoot today. Then left the confines of his bedroom to partake in human contact for the first time since the reveal.

 

“Dude!” Nino greeted him enthusiastically, when Adrien arrived at their local bar. “Thank God, I was starting to get worried.”

 

“I’m fine,” Adrien shrugged, accepting Nino’s bear hug and then finding a booth for them to sit down. “Sorry for ignoring your calls and stuff.”

 

“It’s cool,” Nino waved him off. “I get that you’re busy and shit. But, I’ve gotta say, you’re looking a little off Bro.”

 

“It’s nothing,” Adrien mumbled as a cute waitress came over to take their orders.

 

“You know you can tell me anything,” Nino urged, once the young woman had left them. “I’m here for ya.”

 

“It’s – It’s hard to explain,” Adrien admitted, fiddling with the salt and pepper pots on their table.

 

“Does it have anything to do with Marinette’s foul mood?” Nino asked knowingly.

 

“It’s to do with my girlfriend,” Adrien replied, neither confirming or denying Marinette’s involvement.

 

“The one you swore you didn’t have?” Nino chuckled, taking his hat off and running fingers over his hair.

 

“Yeah, that one.”

 

“I’ve fucked up,” Adrien sighed, placing a hand in his jacket pocket and stroking Plagg to soothe his nerves.

 

“Yeah?” Nino said with a sympathetic nod for Adrien to continue.

 

“I found something out about her,” Adrien began, carefully thinking about how to word his problems. “I didn’t tell her I knew and when she finally did find out, she was upset that I had kept it to myself.”

 

“She feels betrayed?” Nino guessed correctly. “Well, you know what Marinette’s like; she hates liars –”

 

“Seriously?” Adrien rolled his eyes. “Can you not?”

 

“Right, right,” Nino pacified, holding his hands up. “Not Marinette. Sorry. But Dude, chicks are kinda similar when it comes to trust stuff. It’s such an important part to a relationship and it can lead to issues if that sort of shit isn’t discussed. You just gotta talk to her again.”

 

“Again?”

 

Nino scrunched his nose. “I know you. I know you would have tried to tell her your reasons. She just needs so time to calm down. I imagine she’s already contemplating what to say to you and how to fix things.”

 

“I should have come clean from the beginning,” Adrien sighed, as the waitress brought their drinks to the table and left with a flirtatious wink, which both boys ignored.

 

“Maybe you needed time to process what you’d found out?” Nino replied, taking a healthy gulp of his drink. “I don’t think you should be too hard on yourself. You haven’t really done anything wrong. You just found some shit out and took a little too long to discuss it with her.”

 

“You don’t think I’ve completely fucked up everything?” Adrien asked, playing with his drink’s straw and feeling hopeful for the first time in days.

 

Nino chuckled, “No, my Man. Just give her the time she needs and then talk about it like the sensible, respectful young man you are.”

 

“I can do that,” Adrien said softly.

 

“Absolutely,” Nino smiled, giving him a little nudge with his leg as their food arrived.

 

“How did you get so wise?” Adrien asked, poking around at his chicken salad and ignoring the eyes their waitress sent his way. Nino thanked her for their meals and she left with a disappointed sigh.

 

“I’ve always been wise, Fella!” Nino continued to grin, before picking up his monstrously unhealthy burger and taking a huge bite out of it.

 

Adrien nodded in agreement. “I probably should have come to you straight away.”

 

“Obviously,” Nino snorted, with a mouth full to burst.

 

“You know,” Nino noted, once he’d polished off his entire meal. “I had a very similar conversation yesterday.”

 

“You did?” Adrien asked, still picking through his own food.

 

“Hmm,” Nino shrugged, taking another gulp of his drink. “With Marinette.”

 

“Come on, Dude!”

 

“All I’m saying,” Nino continued nonchalantly, as he polished off his meal at lightening speed. “Marinette has been miserable all week and when Alya and I spoke to her yesterday, her story matches up with yours perfectly. Coincidence, obviously, because you definitely wouldn’t realise how perfect for each other you are without some sort of divine intervention.”

 

“I’m not talking about this,” Adrien muttered, pushing his plate away and glancing around him.

 

“Whenever you’re ready Bud,” Nino said kindly. “But for the record, she seemed to want to talk to her _boyfriend_ about things. She told us she may have overreacted and doesn’t know how to approach you – I mean him.”

 

“Re – Really?” Adrien stammered, still not looking at his friend.

 

“Yep,” Nino said, pulling out his wallet and taking out enough euros to pay for their meal. “So, my final piece of advice to you is to go and find her and have it out. Stop all this moping and make your gorgeous girlfriend happy.”

 

“Thanks,” Adrien mumbled, as Nino stood up and slapped him on the shoulder.

 

“No worries,” he grinned, putting his trademark hat back on. “Call me if you need me. If not, I’ll see you tomorrow for games night.”

 

Adrien nodded, waving his goodbye and contemplating his next move.

 

“You heard him,” Plagg whispered, from his hiding spot. “Get your shit together and go find her. She’ll be at the university.”

 

“I’m going,” Adrien whispered back, giving himself a mental shake and getting up. “I’m going.”

 

It didn’t take long to get himself onto campus, and find the fashion and design classrooms. Adrien knew Marinette’s timetable well enough to know she currently had time in one of the many work rooms. She had been working on a beautiful dress for one of her graded projects; her inspiration coming from nature. Adrien knew all this and also knew that her favourite room happened to be on the top floor. It was the least desired workspace in the building, but Marinette loved it because it was so peaceful and the high ceilings reminded her off her bedroom at home.

 

He quickly made his way up the winding staircase, pleased to not see a single person as he climbed. Once at the top, Adrien found her immediately. Her back was to him as she measured out a piece of fabric. The partly made dress coming together in the corner; already looking elegant in resplendent green.

 

“My Lady,” he whispered, coming into the room and closing the door to avoid anyone overhearing their conversation. Exactly what Adrien was going to say, he wasn’t actually sure yet, but he did know it needed to be as private as possible.

 

Marinette froze at her workbench. “Chat?”

 

“I know you don’t want to see me right now,” Adrien continued, walking slowly and rather nervously towards her. “Or probably ever.”

 

“But?” She breathed, placing her hands on the table.

 

“But,” Adrien said softly, coming to stop directly behind her. “I don’t think I can go another day without sorting things out between us.”

 

“I’m hurt that you didn’t tell me,” Marinette replied, closing her eyes. “You should have just said something. I felt stupid having been kept in the dark.”

 

“You’re right,” Adrien agreed, placing a hand on her shoulder delicately. “I’m the stupid fuck who panicked and then got himself all confused about how to talk to you about it. I really wasn’t keeping it a secret on purpose.”

 

“I think I can understand that,” she sighed, allowing him to run his hand down her arm. “I get scared too.”

 

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, resting his forehead against her shoulder and appreciating the closeness after days of being separated.

 

With a small nod, Marinette placed her hand over his and then gasped. “You’re unmasked!”

 

“Yes,” Adrien replied, lacing her fingers with his and resting them against her toned stomach.  

 

“I’m not ready to know who you are,” Marinette admitted quietly. “I’m not trying to punish you. I just need some time to adjust to all this.”

 

“Bugaboo, I completely get that,” Adrien mumbled, placing a kiss to her neck. “It’s why I sat on the knowledge of knowing your civilian self. It’s a life changing thing – a good life changing thing. But I needed time to process everything.”

 

“I’m sorry I got so mad,” she replied, leaning back and keeping her eyes closed. “I’m prone to overreacting.”

 

“You are prone to being passionate,” Adrien smiled, hugging her closer and placing more kisses along her throat. “It’s one of the many reasons why I love you.”

 

“ _Chat_ ,” Marinette sighed, allowing him to touch the bare skin of her stomach underneath her pretty top.

 

“Are we going to be okay?” He asked, enjoying the way she shivered against him.

 

“Yes,” Marinette replied firmly, guiding his hand lower.

 

“I’ve missed you so much,” Adrien admitted, kissing her neck fervently. “The last few days have been awful.”

 

“I’ve been miserable too,” she said, gulping slightly as Adrien’s hand slipped lower. He stopped when he reached the band of the knickers, only to be urged on by Marinette’s own hand.

 

“Bug,” Adrien groaned, as he allowed her to guide him along trim hair and unknown territory.

 

He followed her lead; learning from Marinette’s own fingers over his longer ones. Her breathy moans and rocking body making Adrien cloudy with lust, as their reunion took an altogether different route to any he’d imagined. And amazingly, it didn’t take long for Marinette to cry out in pleasure. Her body arching against him as the shockwaves of an orgasm tremored across her skin.

 

“Chaton,” she sobbed, reaching behind her to cling to him. “Oh God.”

 

Pulling his hand out of her knickers, Adrien wrapped his arms around Marinette and permitted her to place most of her weight against him.

 

“That was –”

 

“Incredible!” Adrien replied honestly, placing more kisses against her. “Let’s do it again!”

 

Marinette laughed. “Easy Kitty, I may need a few minutes to recover.”

 

“I love being able to touch you without the super suits,” Adrien mumbled against her throat. “Can we do this more often?”

 

Marinette continued to giggle as she righted herself, and with her eyes kept closed, she spun around and hugged him tight.

 

“Thank you for coming to find me,” she said against his chest.

 

“Thank you for keeping me,” Adrien smiled, giving her an extra squeeze. “I thought I had doomed us forever.”

 

“That’s impossible,” Marinette confidently replied, as she snuggled into him. “We can work through anything. I may jump to stupid conclusions and let my stubbornness get in the way, but I’ll always try my best to work through our problems together.”

 

“Together sounds good,” Adrien agreed happily. “Claws out!”

 

Marinette blinked against the invasion of green as he transformed. “What are you doing?”

 

“I wanted to at least see those beautiful blue eyes of yours before I leave you to your work,” Adrien grinned, as she looked up at him for the first time.  

 

She rolled said eyes and gave him a light push. “You’re such a dork.”

 

“Yeah, yeah,” he smirked, lifting her chin with his clawed hand so that she had no choice but to glance his way. “Have I mentioned how much I love you?”

 

Marinette’s smile bloomed across her face radiantly. “Kiss me?”

 

“Always,” Adrien said, before he claimed her lips.

 

The relief he felt was monumental. Marinette still wanted him and they still had something wonderful. Adrien felt sure he could face anything in that moment.

 

~0~

 

What Adrien hadn’t counted on was his family’s own involvement in their archenemy, and the inevitable battle that would take place between the Miraculous holders. It was always going to come to a head between Hawk Moth and the heroes, but not once in all the discussions and planning Adrien had partaken in did the battle involve his parents.

 

Not bloody once.

 

And neither did he think he’d end up in hospital.

 

Funny how things worked out.

 

Waking up in his hospital bed, with the knowledge of his parent’s criminal behaviour, had been far more painful than the cuts, broken bones and bruises. Adrien had cried more in the past forty-eight hours than he had in his entire life. The overwhelming sense of loneliness had settled into his aching body like a poison.

 

“You’re doing well Kid,” Plagg purred from his spot on Adrien’s chest. The little cat had been remarkably affectionate since Adrien had gained consciousness.

 

“Doesn’t feel like it,” Adrien mumbled, wincing as he reached up to scratch under Plagg’s chin. “Feels like I fucked up, big time.”

 

“You did exactly what I knew you would do,” Plagg said, nudging against him happily. “You protected your little Bug and made sure Hawk Moth could be defeated. Despite the fact your parents were part of the problem. I can honestly say I’ve never been prouder.”

 

“You’re going to make me cry again,” Adrien blinked, clearing his throat and continuing to rub his companion. “You know I’m not emotionally stable enough to handle your nice side.”

 

“A-Adrien?”

 

Shooting up and then cringing as his body protested violently against the onslaught of pain, Adrien swore under his breath before his eyes found Ladybug.

 

“H-Hey,” he stammered out, breathing heavily as fire raged through him.

 

“Oh Kitty,” she cried, jumping off the window sill and letting the window slide shut. “I didn’t mean to make you jump!”

 

With her usual speed and grace, Ladybug crossed Adrien’s private room to reach his bedside and helped him to untangle his wires.

 

“L-Ladybug?” Adrien asked, watching her fuss over him in confusion. “You’re here?”

 

“Of course I’m here,” she flitted around him, her hands adjusting his blankets and smoothing everything down with great care. A large purple bruise evident upon her cheek, as well as a nasty looking red scratch across the left side of her forehead. “I would have been here sooner, but no one in this stupid hospital would let me see you. I’ve been trying for days.”

 

“Why wouldn’t they let you in?” Adrien asked, as relief lifted his heart. The moments in which he had been conscious, Adrien had pondered Ladybug’s absence and worried that his accidental reveal during the fight had been the reason for it.

 

“Well, as Marinette they wouldn’t let me because I’m not family,” she explained, giving Plagg a little tickle and then plumping Adrien’s pillows. “And as Ladybug, it’s a conflict of interest because of what happened. Obviously, no one knows who you really are.”

 

“You know who I really am,” Adrien noted, watching her pause in her fretting over him.

 

“I do,” she replied gently, sweeping his fringe from his eyes. “ _Chat Noir_.”

 

“Are – Are you okay with that?” Adrien asked carefully.

 

Ladybug gently sat herself on the edge of his bed, taking his hand within her smaller ones and smiling. “I’m the biggest idiot on the planet.”

 

“You are?” Adrien replied, frowning in confusion.

 

Plagg snorted from his position on Adrien’s covers. “I’d say!”

 

“Yes, well,” Ladybug blushed, looking between Adrien and Plagg. “I didn’t realise my Kitten was actually my childhood crush and friend. If I had known that, I wouldn’t have been so worried about falling for Chat whilst still liking Adrien.”

 

“Really?” Adrien replied hopefully, sitting up a little straighter and attempting to ignore the angry stabs running down his sides.

 

“Really,” Ladybug smiled shyly. “I spent such a long time pining for Adrien. Like, ridiculous amounts of time.”

 

“It’s okay,” Plagg grinned, with a glance up at Adrien. “He was obsessed with you for years, and when he found out you were Marinette he stalked you like crazy.”

 

“Thank you for that,” Adrien sighed, poking Plagg in the stomach as his face heated up.

 

“I was so stupidly worried about revealing our identities,” Ladybug groaned, “So many things could have gone wrong and I didn’t want to lose you, Chaton.”

 

“That would never happen,” Adrien promised, smiling as her blush blossomed across her cheeks again.

 

“I know that now,” Ladybug laughed, shaking her head. “After all this, I know exactly how loyal you are. I am so sorry for putting you through so much unnecessary hassle. You’ve been the best partner, friend and boyfriend I could have ever have asked for.”

 

“You make it easy,” Adrien replied, as his own face glowed pink. “You’ve been everything to me from the beginning.”

 

Ladybug gave him another bright smile, before calling for her transformation to be released. As the red sparkles cleared, Marinette leaned forward to cup Adrien’s cheeks and kiss him sweetly on the lips.

 

“You are my hero,” she whispered, pulling away slowly and giggling when Adrien chased her for another gentle peck.

 

“You are mine,” Adrien mumbled, running fingers through her hair and then clutching at the back of her neck to bring her even closer.

 

“Seriously?” Plagg huffed, flying above them and gagging.

 

“Shush,” Tikki chided, twirling up to join her other half. “Let them be. It’s been a troubling few days and they need this.”

 

“Hello,” Adrien smiled, gazing at the little red Kwami fondly. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you Tikki.”

 

“And you Chat Noir,” Tikki replied with a twinkle in her eyes. “You have been truly magnificent in your role. I always knew you would grow into a fine Cat.”

 

“It was all me,” Plagg stated, moving leisurely around them. “Kid would have been a mess without my care and irreplaceable guidance.”

 

Marinette giggled, as Tikki rolled her eyes and chased after him. They disappeared into a far corner, chirping and clicking at each other excitedly.

 

Adrien grimaced as he settled back into his pillows and tried to get a little more comfortable.

 

“You’re in pain,” Marinette noted, her smile falling as she watched him fidget.

 

“I’ll be alright in a few more days,” Adrien replied, closing his eyes as she stroked his arm soothingly. “The worst of it is over. I’ll be up and about in no time. Are you healing okay?”

 

“I’m more than okay. You saved my life,” Marinette said softly. “You kept me safe.”

 

“You sound surprised,” Adrien chuckled, looking over at her again with a raise of an eyebrow.

 

“Your parents –”

 

He swallowed, pushing down the feelings of absolute hurt and betrayal. What could he say about them? What would make the situation better? Would he ever be able to have a normal, loving relationship with his mother and father? It certainly looked rather bleak for the Agreste family at this particular moment.

 

Smiling sadly, Adrien found her hand again and laced their fingers together. “They made a choice and I made mine. I’m not going to leave my Lady unprotected. I have a responsibility as Chat Noir and as Adrien. They picked the wrong path to follow. Maybe, one day they’ll realise that.”

 

“I’m a very lucky woman,” Marinette replied, with tears in her eyes. “Kitty, we’ll help them get back on track.”

 

“Yes,” Adrien agreed, holding onto his wires as she climbed across the bed to cuddle against him. “Eventually, they’ll see reason.”

 

“I’m with you,” Marinette swore, snuggling carefully closer. “Whatever you need, I’m here.”

 

Adrien wrapped an arm around her, breathing in her delightful scent and calming presence. The absolute betrayal of his parent’s supervillain dealings had shocked him to the core. His heart had broken and his world had darkened. But his Lady was there to pick up the pieces.

 

“Will you stay with me tonight?” He whispered, kissing the top of her head.

 

“I’ll stay as long as I’m able to,” she assured him. “I’ll stay forever, if I’m allowed.”

 

“I want you to stay forever,” Adrien smiled, rubbing her back as she relaxed into him.

 

“I can do that,” Marinette mumbled.

 

Tikki and Plagg flew themselves back down beside her. Both took the time to nestle close. It was such a strikingly new experience, and yet it felt ridiculously _right_. This was his family. This had been his family for years, but he hadn’t been able to see it until now.

 

“She hasn’t slept,” Tikki remarked quietly, watching Marinette as she dozed off in Adrien’s arms. “I’ve been so worried.”

 

“She’s home now,” Adrien whispered, caressing Marinette’s exposed cheek tenderly. It looked like it was healing, but the angry purple made his heart ache for her.

 

“Yes,” Tikki agreed, sending him another enchanting smile. “I do believe she is. I think I’m right in saying you are too. This is where you should both be.”

 

With that, Tikki patted his leg before allowing a sleepy Plagg to wrap himself around her. Her eyes were closed in moments and the gentle sound of three little snores filled the room.

 

It did not take long for Adrien to follow them.

 

~0~

 

It took another two weeks before Adrien was discharged from hospital. Nathalie, the Gorilla and Marinette were all there to pick him up. During the car ride back to the Agreste manor Nathalie explained that although his parents were currently being held in a secure prison until their trial, Adrien had full access to the family inheritance. This meant he could live in the mansion, have full responsibility of the family bank accounts and keep the fashion empire afloat if he so wished.

 

“Your Father was certainly careful with his assets,” Marinette muttered, keeping her hand firmly gripped within his.

 

“The police have already taken everything they needed for the trail,” Nathalie continued, keeping her eyes on the road. “Ladybug and her team have given statements, and all members of staff have been interviewed.”

 

“I’ve had four visits from inspectors this last week,” Adrien replied. “They seem happy with everything. Would it be okay to leave the business side of things with you, and continuing running things as normal? Until we know what’s going to happen to Mother and Father.”

 

“Of course,” Nathalie nodded, glancing back at him for the first time. “I will stay for as long as you need me to.”

 

“Thank you,” Adrien replied earnestly. “I know I’ll eventually need to make decisions on everything, but I’m not ready just yet.”

 

Pulling up to the front of the house for the first time since the fight, was not a pleasant experience. Neither was entering the empty entrance hall.

 

“I’ll leave you to it,” Nathalie said softly, giving Adrien’s shoulder a light pat. “Come and go as you want. I’ll continue to use my office as a base and you can contact me at any time. I’ve made sure all staff who wished to stay are still on payroll.”

 

Thanking her and a typically stoic Gorilla for their help, Adrien watched them go with a feeling of dread.

 

“I don’t want to be here,” Adrien admitted quietly, when Marinette moved to pick up his hospital bag.

 

“That’s very understandable,” Marinette assured him, wrapping an arm around his middle as she did so. “I didn’t think you’d want to come back.”

 

“Maybe I should book a hotel room for a while,” Adrien muttered thoughtfully. “Then look for my own place, ready for next semester.”

 

“That sounds like a good plan,” Marinette agreed, fidgeting against him. “But how about, instead of finding a hotel room, you come and stay with me?”

 

“S-Stay with you?” Adrien asked, his eyes widening as he looked down at her.

 

“I kind of already spoke to my parents about it,” Marinette whispered, before worrying her lip. “They know what’s going on with your parents through the news, so when I asked if you could come and stay they were all for it.”

 

“A-Are you serious?” Adrien breathed, gripping her arms and watching her excitedly. “They would let me?”

 

“They adore you,” Marinette chuckled, placing a hand on his chest. “I told them we had started dating and that sort of sealed the deal. They are ridiculously happy about it all. I honestly wasn’t expecting them to be as relaxed about it as they are.”

 

“I would really, really, really love to stay with your family,” Adrien laughed, pulling her in for a huge hug as relief flooded through him.

 

And so, after a quick trip to his bedroom to bag up a few essentials, they headed to Marinette’s wonderfully warm home. Adrien was greeted with such enthusiasm that he felt almost overwhelmed by it. Her parents had set up an airbed for him in Marinette’s bedroom and had offered him their support with whatever he needed whilst he stayed there.

 

It was such a contrast to what Adrien was used to and it completely changed his way of life.

 

From the moment he arrived, Adrien was treated like a young adult. He was shown trust and given unlimited amounts of the Dupain-Cheng’s time.

 

Mornings were usually spent in a mad rush to eat breakfast, get ready and go to their prospective jobs and university lectures. Nathalie continued to handle his daily timetable, but even this was less strenuous than previously – Adrien was now allowed to pick and choose what he wanted to do with his time.

 

Evenings were spent eating as a family, or going out with friends. Patrols were more leisurely and life just seemed to take an altogether different turn.

 

All in all, Adrien was the happiest he had been in a very long time.

 

There were moments of darkness, of course. He often woke in the middle of the night; sweating and panting heavily from nightmares of suffocating butterflies, peacock feathers and his father’s disappointed gaze. His heart ached, as the realisation that he had lost both his parents finally started to settle in. They would be going to prison for a long time, and Chat Noir had been a huge factor in their downfall. The tears had flowed often.

 

Spending so much time with his Lady, however, was a dream come true. He was able to take her on actual dates, watch films late into the night with her, and snuggle up on the sofa to complete their uni work together. It probably came as no shock that Adrien rarely used the airbed. Marinette was rather insistent that she wanted him in her bed.

 

It did not take long to memorize every freckle on her body; to learn every single possible way to touch and kiss her into a bumbling mess of a woman without actually having full on sex. Furthermore, she became just as apt at turning him into a mess of a man.

 

It took one little Bee, a bemused Turtle and a thoroughly pissed off Fox to burst their blissful bubble.

 

“We need to talk,” Rena had demanded, after catching Ladybug and Chat Noir snogging each other senseless on a routine patrol.

 

“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” Bee growled, standing firm behind the fox. “But you can’t keep this up _Adrien_.”

 

Carapace, Rena and Bee had been as equally shocked to find out that their cat companion was none other than Paris’ supermodel son, Adrien Agreste. They had each taken it relatively well; showing their support with the usual ribbing and eye rolling that had become part of their team dynamics. If anything, their friendships had strengthened since the big reveal. They were a little more protective and even more cuddly than usual.

 

“What’s going on?” Ladybug asked, fixing her hair and looking between the ladies with concern. “You really shouldn’t be using his civilian name.”

 

“The problem involves his civilian arse,” Rena frowned, folding arms and staring him down. “You have a girlfriend.”

 

“Yes,” Adrien laughed, slinging his arm around Ladybug’s shoulders. “My Lady.”

 

“ _Marinette_ ,” Rena snapped, releasing an arm to poke him hard in the stomach. “Adrien is dating Marinette, not Ladybug!”

 

“We’re so sorry Lady,” Bee said as she worried her hands. “I don’t know what’s got into him, but it does look like you’re being messed around with.”

 

“Dude seems to have a thing for raven beauties,” Carapace noted carefully, with a thumb pointed at Chat.

 

“Oh God,” Ladybug groaned, placing her head into her hands. “You know him outside of the mask.”

 

“And more importantly,” Rena drawled, continuing to poke at Adrien. “I know Marinette. She’s one of the most important people in my life. So, if you think –”

 

“– Alya?” Ladybug correctly guessed, looking out at her from between her fingers. “I can not believe this!”

 

“Y-you know me?” Rena gasped, halting her prods to gawk at Ladybug.

 

“Merde,” Adrien exhaled, rubbing his forehead. “Alya!”

 

“I think maybe it’s time I come clean,” Ladybug sighed, looking between them all thoughtfully. “I know we’re still active and that more threats are likely to occur over the next few years, but this is silly now. You need to know who I am.”

 

With a quick glance around her, Ladybug released her transformation and waved timidly at Carapace, Rena and Bee.

 

“Holy shit!”

 

“Jesus fucking Christ!”

 

“Dude!”

 

“No way!” Rena hollered, pulling Marinette away from Adrien and into her bosom. “How the hell did you keep that a secret!”

 

“What the fuck?” Bee demanded, looking very much like she was about to have a stroke. “Are you actually for real?”

 

“Seriously!” Carapace laughed, adjusting his goggles and gazing at Marinette affectionately.

 

“This is insane,” Rena grinned, releasing her own Kwami as Bee did the same.

 

“Chloé!” Marinette and Adrien both gasped.

 

“Oh, what the hell,” Carapace shrugged, dropping his own super suit and grinning smugly as everyone stood gobsmacked.

 

“Nino!”

 

“This can’t be happening,” Chloé muttered, looking between them all with barely concealed disgust. “How did none of us pick up on this?”

 

“Hold up, hold up!” Alya laughed, pointing between them all. “So, let me get this straight. Marinette crushed on Adrien from the moment they had their little umbrella moment.”

 

“Umbrella moment?” Adrien asked, looking down at his Bug with interest. “That long?”

 

“Don’t interrupt,” Alya huffed, flicking his forehead. “Chat Noir crushes on Ladybug from the minute she defeats Stone Heart.”

 

“That long?” Marinette smirks, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Shush,” Alya instructed, waggling her finger. “Chloé falls for Ladybug at exactly the same time, but despises Marinette.”

 

“Oh yeah!” Adrien sniggers, as his blond friend shoots him daggers.

 

“Alya would happily take either superhero, until she becomes one herself,” Alya grins. “Her and Bee find out each other’s identities first and begin a casual relationship, helping Chloé realise that she likes girls. But before all that, Nino and Alya have a lovely first love relationship.”

 

“Not necessary to the recap,” Chloé sniffed, lifting her nose haughtily.

 

“Meanwhile, we watch as Ladybug falls in love with Chat Noir,” Alya smiles, placing a hand to her chest. “Ensuring the Ladynoir ship sails, despite Marinette’s constant snort of derision every time her best friend brought it up.”

 

“Denial,” Marinette laughed,” leaning into Adrien. “I was very good at it.”

 

“Hawk Moth and his minions are defeated,” Alya continues with a respectful nod to Adrien. “Bee, Carapace and Rena worry that their now unmasked alley cat is having it both ways, with sexy as fuck Ladybug and gorgeously sweet Marinette.”

 

“I am having it both ways,” Adrien smiled smugly, his tail twitching as Marinette rolls her eyes at him.

 

“Yes,” Alya agreed, her eyes flicking over to Marinette with interest. “You most certainly are. Please explain how the pair of you can be so crazily complicated.”

 

“What do you mean?’ Marinette asked, with a glance at Adrien.

 

“She means,” Chloé sighed, with a flick of her ponytail. “How can you both be so ridiculously sweet in your civilian lives, yet rock the sexiest superheroes alive routine?”

 

“Animal magnetism?” Adrien joked, feeling Marinette shrug against him. “I think it’s more that the super suits let us reveal that side of ourselves more than our normal day to day selves. Marinette is still the sexiest person I’ve ever met outside of the suit. You just see it more when she’s kicking arse and taking down bad guys.”

 

“Thanks Kitty,” Marinette blushed, “back at you.”

 

“You are both disgustingly beautiful,” Alya laughed, shaking her head and moving to hug the pair. “Beautiful people with beautiful souls.”

 

“It all makes sense now,” Chloé sighed grumpily, throwing her arms around them all. “During school, neither of you were ever where you said you were going to be.”

 

“Bro, I’m so glad I don’t have to kick your arse,” Carapace admitted, flicking Adrien’s cat ears. “I was not looking forward to it.”

 

“I’m glad too,” Adrien replied truthfully.

 

Breaking apart, Chloé observed Adrien and Marinette thoughtfully. “It sickens me to say it, but you are perfect together.”

 

“Been saying it for years,” Alya exclaimed with a hand to the heavens. “Ladybug and Chat Noir. Ladynoir for the win. Adrien and Marinette. Adrinette for the win.”

 

“Really,” Marinette snorted, pinching her nose. “Really, with the ship names.”

 

“Don’t forget Marichat and Ladrien!” Alya beamed cheekily. “All winning combinations.”

 

“Love them all!” Adrien smiled brightly.

 

“You would,” Marinette said, with a shake of her head.

 

“Well, now that that is sorted,” Chloé replied, placing a hand on her hips. “Anyone up for a drink? I could use one – or ten.”

 

Adrien wholeheartedly agreed.

 

~0~

 

“We need to plan a holiday for team  Miraculous,” Marinette said, tapping her chin as she thought through her statement.

 

“Yeah?” Adrien replied, climbing the ladder to (their) bed. “What’s made you say that?”

 

“Well, we’ve been looking after Paris for so long now. I think we all deserve a little trip away.”

 

“I’m sure the others would like that,” Adrien agreed, getting under the covers as Marinette gave Tikki and Plagg a gentle kiss goodnight. It never ceased to amaze Adrien how downright soppy Plagg had become around his girlfriend.

 

“We could plan it all out,” Marinette continued, watching their Kwami fly down to the airbed they had taken a liking to sleeping in.

 

“Let’s ask the team tomorrow,” Adrien said, getting himself comfy. “See what they say about it.”

 

“It’s incredible isn’t it,” Marinette chuckled, accepting a peck to her cheek. “After all this time, we were so close and had no idea.”

 

“It is mad to think we all danced around each other,” Adrien replied, pulling her into a cuddle and smiling when Marinette snuggled as close as possible. “I’m proud of you, by the way.”

 

“Why’s that?” Marinette asked, sitting up and fiddling with his pyjama top.

 

“All these reveals and you’ve handled them like a pro,” he said, with affection evident in his voice. “You’ve come a long way since the early days my little Bug.”

 

“We both have,” Marinette agreed, running her hand over his chest adoringly. “I can’t even begin to imagine how hard the last few months have been for you. Yet, you’ve continued to go about life with the same never ending positivity. I love you so much.”

 

“I’m never going to not be sad about it, and some days are better than others, but – wait, what did you just say?” Adrien asked, sitting up on an elbow and caressing her cheek.

 

“You’ve had a hard few months –”

 

“– Not that bit Bugaboo,” Adrien smiled fondly. “The part about loving me.”

 

“Oh,” Marinette uttered, a pink flush covering her face as he stroked long fingers along it. “Well, I thought that part was obvious.”

 

“You’ve never said it out loud before,” Adrien grinned, as his heart rate increased rapidly.

 

“I love you,” she whispered; her hand fisting his top as her eyes sparkled. “So very much.”

 

“ _Fuck_ ,” Adrien exhaled, pulling her in for a sensual kiss. “I will never get tired of hearing you say that.”

 

Marinette giggled, laying herself over him and continuing their kiss.

 

“Say it again,” Adrien begged, running his hand down her back and cupping her arse.

 

“I,” Marinette purred against his ear. “Love you!”

 

“Yes,” Adrien groaned, accepting the kisses along his neck. “Say that again.”

 

She continued to laugh, nuzzling along his jaw. “I love you, Adrien Agreste.”

 

“I love you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng!”

 

“I love you,” she said, her eyes continuing to twinkle beautifully, “ _Chat Noir_.”

 

“I love you,” Adrien murmured, spinning them over so that she was pinned beneath him.  “ _Ladybug_.”

 

Marinette ran her fingers through his hair, pulling him down for a long, enthusiastic kiss which left him hungry for more. It never ceased to amaze Adrien how the more kisses they shared, the more he wanted. It was a greedy, all consuming addiction. He very much doubted he’d ever get used to the sheer joy of being allowed to do this with her.

 

“I am so happy with you,” He admitted quietly, when they broke apart for air. “Honestly, you have given me so much. I don’t think I’d have been able to cope with Mother and Father’s reveal without your constant support.”

 

“The feeling is very mutual,” Marinette smiled warmly, running small hands over his back and shoulders. “I feel like we’re in some kind of dream.”

 

Adrien chuckled, helping Marinette to remove his top so that she could continue her exploration. “Have I featured in many of your dreams, my Lady?”

 

“More than you could imagine,” Marinette admitted truthfully and managing to look perfectly innocent and utterly seductive in a blink of an eye.

 

Adrien huffed, “Don’t do that. You know I can’t handle your sexy sweet vibe. It turns my brain to mush.”

 

Marinette grinned cheekily up at him. “But I like it when you can’t string two words together. It’s endearing.”

 

“Endearing?” Adrien snorted; adjusting against her and pulling a toned leg closer to his side. “Don’t you mean embarrassingly juvenile. I’m legally an adult but my girlfriend can turn me to jelly with one look.”

 

“Well, your girlfriend gets equally turned on by those little smirks of yours,” Marinette assured him with a grab to his bum. “It’s an eye for an eye, really.”

 

Adrien laughed, dipping his head and pulling her own top up to blow raspberries onto her wonderfully firm stomach. She giggled against him, before his mouth changed tactics, to kiss her torso in as many places as possible. It didn’t take long for Marinette’s top to join his on the floor below.

 

“Kitty?” She mumbled, as her lips latched onto his neck. “How would you feel about loving me _loving me_ tonight?”

 

“As in –”

 

“Yes,” Marinette whispered against his ear, causing a shiver to run up Adrien’s spin. “Would –  Would you like to make love to me?”

 

Adrien sat up on an elbow. They had spent a serious amount of time getting acquainted with each other’s bodies and they had had a few conversations about taking things further. He hadn’t realised Marinette was hoping for this sooner rather than later.  “Are you – Are you sure?”

 

“More than anything,” Marinette admitted breathlessly. “I want you so much. I want to love you in every possible way.”

 

“That’s a lot of ways,” Adrien joked, instantly sobering as she rolled her eyes and placed an inviting kiss upon his lips.

 

“We can wait,” Marinette said gently, rubbing noses with him. “If you’re not ready.”

 

“I am ready,” Adrien quickly replied, returning her kisses with renewed enthusiasm. “I really am.”

 

Marinette welcomed him eagerly; guiding his hands towards her pyjama shorts and biting her lip with heavy lidded eyes as Adrien slowly eased them off.

 

They proceeded to spend the rest of their evening in a haze of whispered words and trusting touches. Both intent on providing their partner with the same care and devotion warranted for their first time. Adrien was determined to make the entire experience as perfect as possible. The clumsiness, the giggles, the shock of being together so completely; it was everything he could have hoped for and more.

 

Adrien woke up the next morning to Marinette’s warm body cuddled against him. Her sleepy smile when he kissed her rosy cheeks was all the confirmation he needed that his life had taken such a dramatic turn for the better in the last few years. His Lady loved him. Truly loved him; Miraculous and all.

 

No amount of bad luck had been able to change the now inevitable fact that Marinette had fallen for him. And although Adrien’s parents had completely destroyed any chance of his happy family dream, Adrien couldn’t be kept down. Bad days would come. They were inevitable for every human being on the planet. He had unfortunately experienced a fair number of them already. However, his Lady’s endless supply of adoration and good fortune was what had kept him from losing all hope.

 

Their partnership was stronger than ever.

 

They were _in love_.

 

They had an exciting future ahead of them and Adrien was looking forward to every single moment. The good and the bad; they would face it together.

 

His fifteen-year-old self would be in absolute awe of how things had turned out for Ladybug and Chat Noir.

 

~0~

 

 

 

* Now go and check out Twindoodle's art. You will not be disappointed!

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